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. 

My birthday, off to the Parador de Saler in search of sun, visiting Valencia, then to Santa Pola, George's birthday, home again to more rain, St. Valentine's Day and other stories of the week.

 Madrid,  Sunday 15th February, 2026

The four of us on my birthday last Sunday

Good morning everyone. How was your week? Mine was splendid. I always like birthdays although I'm not too happy to have turned 69 as I will be 70 next year. Old age is on my mind a lot these days. I hate my wrinkles, my worsening memory and ageing body. However, I am enjoying retirement while I am still relatively fit and have to be grateful for that. 

I turned 69 last Sunday 8th February. February has been cold and extremely wet in Spain, nearly everywhere. The Iberian Peninsula has been battered by storm after storm and this has to be the longest period of rain I have ever known since I came to live in Spain in 1981. The floods in Andalusia were frightening as were the hurricane winds in Galicia, Catolonia and now in Valencia and Alicante. I am aching for sunny and dry weather and thankfully we got some sun in Valencia. It was sunny too in Santa Pola but too windy for words. We are experiencing extreme and freak weather which of course is because of climate change and I don't like it at all. I wish too that my birthday fell on a warmer month than February. 

We went out for a birthday breakfast and walked to the churros cafe and back. I enjoyed my 2 big porras with thick hot chocolate which is such a treat. Here I am digging in.

My birthday breakfast - chocolate con churros; such a treat

I came home to make fish and chips with mushy peas, our favourite for birthday lunches. Soon Oli and Juliet arrived and my darling granddaughter was carrying a huge bunch of flowers for me, bless her. Thank you Oli.  I do love flowers as a treat.

Juliet bringing me flowers for my birthday

The table was laid and the fish and chips were ready to eat just as Miguel and Elliot arrived. 

Fish and chips for my birthday lunch

I had hoped for a photo with my grandchildren or all of us but Elliot wasn't having it so I had to do with one just of the four of us. I have chosen it as this weeks' feature photo. But I did get photos with Juliet when it was the cake moment. 

The cake moment

I had ordered my favourite cake from Alverán with white chocolate and strawberries and cream. It is simply the best.

I loved my presents too which of course Elliot and Juliet opened for me and then went off and hid them. I got slippers, a fleece, a travel coffee mug and a voucher for a massage from Suzy. Thank you darlings. Loved my presents. 

Oli and family stayed until the evening after which I packed for our trip to Valencia which was part of my birthday treat. 

I was up at 6.15 on Monday and we were soon on the road. We said goodbye to the rain and cold of Madrid and as we neared Valencia the temperature kept going up until it reached 23ºc with lots of sun. Wonderful. I had booked a table and ordered a seafood paella at a restaurant we went to years ago. Called L'Establiment it is in El Palmar right next to the Albufera lake or lagoon. The Albufera lake is the largest in Spain and it is where the best rice is grown and used for paella. I love that lake and the nature around it and the fact that the whole natural park is so unspoiled. 

Lunch - paella - by the Albufera Lake at L'Establiment in El Palmar on Monday

There was too much for us to eat so we got a doggy bag and I actually ate more of it yesterday and it was still nice. 

We had chosen to stay at the Parador de Saler as we love Paradors and prefer staying in the countryside and beside the sea rather than in a big city. It is only a 20 minute drive though to Spain's third largest city, Valencia. Most Paradors in Spain are housed in lovely old monumental buildings but that is not generally so for those built by the sea as is the case of the one in Saler. However the quality is just the same.

At 7 pm I had booked an hour long massage at the spa. I would have enjoyed the spa if it hadn't been for a big group of German football players who hogged it all. I loved my massage; another birthday present to the add to the list and I still have Suzy's to look forward to.

We were not hungry enough to have dinner at the Parador and instead I enjoyed a glass of wine, some pistachios and fruit. The beds were hard but I actually slept a whole 7 hours. Wow!

On Tuesday morning we had the Parador breakfast to look forward to. They are always splendid and this was no less. Eladio always goes for savoury and I always go for sweet and especially enjoyed the pancakes. Here is Eladio having his breakfast with a view of the golf course and dunes.

Breakfast at the Parador was splendid

After a sumptuous breakfast we walked down to the beach and to explore the surroundings of the Parador which is also a golf course and there were plenty of golfers around. The beach was very empty and the sun timid at that moment so we didn't get good photos. It must be lovely later in the year.

At the beach by the Parador and the golf course - the Parador is just behind me.

The morning was to be spent in Valencia in the historic quarter. I had last been in 2017 but I don't think Eladio had ever visited the city. I loved the drive into the centre, past parts of the lake. I had to get Eladio to stop when I spied a "barraca". Barracas are unique to this area and are traditional farmhouses or cabins to be found in the orchard areas (Horta) and near the Lagoon. They are iconic with their steep pitched thatched roofs and whitewashed walls.I had to have a photo.

A typical Valencian "barraca"

I first learned that word when I was in my first year of Spanish at Nottingham University and we had to read Blasco Ibañez' "La Barraca". Ibañez was one of the famous 1898 Spanish authors. I don't remember much about it  apart from it being set in the Valencian "huerta" (horta in the local language). You must remember that Valencia is often called the Orchard of Spain - and you see oranges everywhere.  I had to look it up to remind myself it was a novel about social injustice and collective violence. Just seeing the "barraca" and many more while in the area, reminded me of one of my most important set books which I can now hardly remember. I found the scene very romantic.

We carried on our drive on the same straight road into the centre. My son-in-law, Miguel, worked for TVE and lived in Valencia for many years (it's where he and Oli met while working together) so I had asked him for some tips. One was where to park. He recommended the car park underneath the iconic fruit and veg market, Mercat de Colom. It was full but we found one next to it and were soon out on the streets in the sunshine and about to savour a bit of Valencia.

The Mercat de Colom in Valencia

We made our way to the main square, Plaza de la Reina. There we visited the Santa Catalina church but did not go up the tower. It was soon time for coffee and we only found a table at one of the cafes which turned out to be the most expensive in Spain in my experience, so far, at 9 euros for one coffee and a coca cola. But it was lovely to be there in the sunshine and admire the beautiful buildings. According to Google, the square is a "historic tapestry of Valencia's evolution, featuring a mix of Gothic, Baroque and Modernist styles. 

Eladio in the Plaza de la Reina Valencia with the cathedral in the background

We made a beeline for the cathedral which claims to house the Holy Grail; the cup believed by many to have been used by Jesus at the Last Supper. The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption is a city landmark built in the 13th and 15th centuries and a mixture of architectural styles. They include Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque and Neoclassical styles. I saw a lot of Baroque. 

Suitably impressed we continued to explore the old part of the city and made our way to the Plaza de la Virgen where we saw the Turia fountain and nearby the Autonomous Community HQ, the Generalitat, so much in the news after the flash floods in 2024. We didn't have much time for more as we had a booking for lunch at a place recommended by Miguel. Called La Alqueria del Pou meaning something like "the well country house or farm". It was on the outskirts of the city, surrounded by a huge kitchen garden full of fields of artichokes and orange trees. It's an oasis in the city with the now iconic City of Arts buildings in the distance which we did not visit. 

La Alqueria del Pou restaurant where we had lunch on Tuesday

After such a big breakfast, I was not hungry and only wanted some artichokes and local tomatoes - delicious. But Eladio wanted to try the classic and traditional paella. It's rice with chicken, rabbit, broad beans, snails (yes) and runner beans. And here he is about to enjoy it. 

The real paella is made with rice, chicken, rabbit, snails, broad and runner beans. Not for me. 

I didn't try it but I devoured the garlic mayonnaise with tomato which is served everywhere in Valencia and Alicante. I always go for it and then have no appetite for what I have ordered.

Typical starter in Valencia and Alicante - garlic mayonnaise with crushed tomato and toast or bread

We seemed to spend hours in that lovely place and then walked out with lots of doggy bags of food to be consumed later.

We spent the rest of our time in our lovely room with a terrace overlooking the golf course, lounging around, reading and then watching the news and some rubbish on the TV.

Breakfast was slightly spoiled on  Wednesday morning when Eladio was served a rotten hard boiled egg. We only discovered it when he took the shell off. We asked for another one which didn't look good either so we gave up. 

We were leaving that morning and had decided to continue on to Santa Pola (188km away) to enjoy more sunshine. And that we did. We got to our flat with 23c outside but it was cold inside and we had hardly any provisions. Thus we got into the car again and drove into town and had a pleasant menu of the day at La Sal.

It was good to be back at our flat but I didn't like the cold which was tempered a bit by the hot air from the a/c units. 

The view from our terrace in Santa Pola

On Thursday morning there was  a lot of wind coming from Catalonia so we decided to head home after just one night back at our apartment. Eladio did a lot of driving this week and he is such a champ. We left quite early and stopped for lunch at the Venta de San José arriving home mid afternoon. As usual, Suzy, Tana and Pippa were there to greet us. We had left the wind behind but returned to rain and cold weather - aarrgghh.

I kept thinking about my brother George who would have turned 71 on Thursday 12th February. But that was not to be  because he sadly died of skin cancer (melanoma) aged just 46 on 15th May 2001. I remember him always and have missed him so much since he left us. Oh dear! Life can be cruel can't it? It was to him in many ways.

It was nice to be home though if only for our wonderful central heating which costs a fortune but keeps us so warm.  I had a funny guest arrive that day who I had concerns about but it was ok. Also arriving was Elena from Puebla Mexico who had been with us in the autumn and will be staying for 12 nights. Bienvenida. She is a delight.

The next morning was Friday 13th but thankfully nothing unlucky happened. It rained though and all day so we just didn't leave the house. I had lots of rental admin to do which is always a good sign. I was also looking forward to Friday evening dinner with Oli and the kids. But it was aborted at around 7.30 just when everything was ready. Oli rang to say she had lost her voice and it seems she had a bit of tonsillitis. So there we were with a table groaning with freshly made Spanish omelets, my Russian meat pies, a plate of ham and cut up fruit. It was a bit of a disappointment. But no worries, we ate some of it and left the rest for today when they will be coming for lunch as Oli is feeling on the mend.

Saturday dawned and it was St. Valentine's Day, 14th February. The great thing is that the rain had gone and the sun came out. And even if it was very windy, we got our walk in. Lunch was to be at De María in Majadahonda to celebrate Valentine's Day.  It's  a very posh and cozy steak house right next to the Atlético de Madrid training grounds and a restaurant I love. They give you lovely little starters so you only need a second course. You don't even need a dessert as they ply you with lemon sorbet and home made almond biscuits. We had a wonderful piece of steak with chips and an Argentinian sauce called "chimichurri" which is spicy and goes well with meat. This year we did not get a Valentine photo of the two of us. Instead I took one of Eladio. I just couldn't remove the two men behind him from the photo with the object eraser for some reason. So here it is, raw, just as I took it.

My own sweet Valentine at lunch yesterday at De María

Just as we were coming home, we bumped into both Suzy and Oli. They were off to a party for their friend Copi's birthday which is on the same day as mine. Oli laughingly asked us if we were then going to bed. How well she knows us. I seem to spend all my afternoons in bed. Best place to be, hahahaha.

I had an unexpected guest that evening. Alvaro booked the room that the funny man had vacated in the morning and thank God Tana had cleaned it. He booked it at the last minute as he had come to Madrid from Valencia (just where we have been) to buy a car but the transaction cannot be completed until Monday so he had to look for somewhere to stay and found our house. Nice. 

We had a quiet and very small dinner after which we watched the news. It came to no surprise to me to hear that the Russian opposition leader Navalny had been poisoned by Putin. He did not die of natural causes in the jail in the Arctic but from some deadly rat poison. Nasty news indeed.

Today is Sunday and the sun is shining so we shall go for our walk after I publish this. 

Cheers then to ye and all until next Sunday,

Masha

Alcaraz beats Djokovic in Australian Open and becomes youngest man to complete career Grand Slam, Kafkian new rule for rental hosts, some retail therapy, flooding in Spain, Suzy invited us to lunch at Honest Greens and other stories of the week

 Madrid, Sunday 8th February 2026 - My birthday

The four of us at Honest Greens on Friday where Suzy invited us all to lunch. Thank you Suzy. 

Hi everyone. Today is a great day. It is my birthday and I am just shy of 70 so have one more year in my 60's. Where did the years go? Time flies doesn't it? 

It's been an up and down week but last Sunday was certainly an up day. It was a great day for Spain's tennis prodigy, Carlos Alcaraz. Aged just 22, he beat the GOAT of tennis, Novak Djokovic, aged 38, the holder of 24 grand slams. At the moment the match finished, Carlitos became the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam (all four major tournaments - Wimbledon, Roland Garros, US Open and the Australian Open). He also won his 7th grand slam, the youngest man  to reach that number. He now leads the select club of those male tennis players who have also completed the Career Grand Slam. For the books the others are: Rafa Nadal (24), Roger Federer (27), Novak Djokovic (29), Andre Agassi (29) and Rod Laver (31). Quite a select club from the Open Era. But did you know that Steffi Graf was already a Career Grand Slam winner aged just 18? 

Eladio watched the match but I couldn't as it was too nerve wracking. So I followed it on my phone in the bathroom. As soon as I saw the 4th set score, I knew he had done it and rushed into our room to see him live - such a pleasure. Both he and Novak were amazing and there was Rafa Nadal watching them from the stadium. Later they hugged which was beautiful to see. I love watching the prize ceremony when a Spanish or British tennis player wins and Sunday was unique. I later came across  a great photo of them and their trophies combined with a photo of Carlitos aged 13  watching Novak practice at the Madrid Open. When that photo was taken could Alcaraz ever have imagined playing the GOAT (greatest of all time) in a Grand Slam final and beating him? Who knows? Anyway, here is the photo which went viral, of course.

Above, Carlos aged 13 watching Djokovic practicing in 2016 and below after beating him at the Australian Open

In the press conference afterwards, one question stood out. Could he win all four grand slams in one season? Even Carlos thought that was quite an impossible objective. But who knows? He could do it. The last man to do that was Rod Laver in 1969. More women have achieved the "Golden Slam" though and they are Maureen Connolly (Little Mo), Margaret Court and Steffi Graf. Of interest, by the way, sitting in the stadium was the GOAT of women's tennis, the one and only Margaret Court who is Australian. Both she and Djokovic hold the greatest number of singles grand slams and last Sunday Djokovic's main objective was to reach 25 and beat Court. It was not to be but he may still do it. Who knows?

If you are not into tennis, I hope you don't find my blog boring. Sorry if it's not your thing.

The highlight of Sunday was a long video call with my dear friends Kathy and Phil. Oh how I wish I could be with them in Yorkshire now. 

Monday was, by the way, Groundhog Day and it felt like it. The weather was foul, robbing us, once again, of our walk and it seems to have rained everyday since. We have had Storms Leonardo and now Marta and they have caused havoc, mostly in the South of Spain.

If Sunday was an up day, Monday was definitely a down day. I had to battle with trying to comply to a new and Kafkian rule for short term rental hosts, like me. It was so difficult I even began to think it was impossible and we would have to sell our houses and give up the business. If last year I had to battle to get a special number for each listing from 3 different Land Registry Offices which took me the best of 3 months, this year a new requirement was published and it is a nightmare. It has to be finished by the end of this month and if you don't submit the forms, they will  cancel  your special number and I and many others won't be able to publish our listings on Airbnb, Booking and the like. Basically the Government wants to know the dates of each reservation and the reason for the guest staying but why I really don't know. I suspect it is just more control. The form to fill all this out - and in my case that is 7 forms, is devilish. You have to download a software programme called N2 and have a digital certificate as well as be a subscriber of the Registry Office. The N2 app is awful and had me in knots. Just look at my PC while I struggled to complete the processes.

Struggling with the ghastly N2 app to fill out the forms online

Next to me I had a 41 page manual on how to complete the process to be found on the Land Registry website which is a complicated site if ever I've seen one and I'm not completely computer illiterate. But imagine people who don't have a PC or Windows - there is no MAC version yet - Thankfully I was not the only person lost and took comfort in forums on Facebook for hosts and got help. I found a wonderful computer geek, Carlos from Valencia, who is also an avocado farmer, who for not much money would be my saviour. Actually, once he showed me how to do it, I learned but it wasn't easy, not even for him. Whoever designed the programme should be fired. 

I had a break from battling with the N2 programme when it was time for my weekly video call with Amanda. She commiserated and it was great to get up to speed again. 

Tuesday was an up day although I didn't think it was going to be.  I finally got on the scales. The last time was in the middle of August after I had finished my last dose of Mounjaro when I had reached my desired weight. I had seriously thought I had put on weight, especially after Christmas, and was thinking of asking my GP for more Mounjaro. But I was blessed as I only put on just under 2 kilos. How could that be as I have been eating more than I need and lots of chocolate?  I had been wearing black leggings for weeks and weeks and that day tried on my jeans and they were fine as were all the other trousers I wore this week. Whoopee I thought. I hate the scales but for once they told a nice story. 

To add to my happiness, that day I got 3 new bookings. I also cancelled our two night stay at the Parador in Gredos and swapped it for the Parador de Saler near Valencia where the weather will be much better. That's where we are going tomorrow to continue celebrating my birthday and from there to Santa Pola. As soon as I learned that the Parador in Valencia has a spa, I booked a massage. I also booked a table at a restaurant we went to near it about 10 years ago. It's called L'Establiment and is in El Palmar right by the Albufera lagoon. I have ordered  a seafood paella and can't wait to go there.

Feeling good and needing a bit more nurturing I suggested to Eladio that we go and have coffee - well just me - and do some retail therapy at our local shopping centre in Majadahonda. It was to buy my birthday presents. I have a wonderful husband but he is no good at buying presents, haha. I had a grand time, first celebrating the news from the scales by having a coffee and a croissant. I then left Eladio sitting at the cafe while I went looking for presents for me. I found a warm and snuggly cream coloured fleece at Oysho which I know I will wear a lot. This is it.

My birthday present, a fleece from Oysho

Eladio then joined me looking for a pair of pink slippers which I found at Victoria's Secret. On our way out I spied a red and white striped Rugby type jumper at Mango but they were all over size. Thus I ordered an S online which came on Friday. I now wish I had bought a size XS hahaha. This is it. Very me right?

The red and white striped jumper I got from Mango this week. I look as though I'm about to go and watch cricket, hahaha. 

My afternoon was interrupted because of a routine doctor's appointment. But I was soon home and enjoying more of The Night Manager Season 2 which I finished this week. I am a fan of that series and pleased to hear that there will be a Season 3 soon and we won't have to wait another 10 years for it. 

Wednesday brought more rain, snow and flooding. The north was very affected but much more so the south and also Extremadura. Storm Leonardo also battered Morocco and Portugal. One woman died in Malaga and more than 11.000 people have been evacuated as rivers overflow and water pours everywhere. On some footage we saw water gushing out of electricity sockets. We are not immune in Madrid either with the threat of the River Jarama flooding. Part of our garage was flooded as water seeped in through the walls. That is going to be costly to mend but at least we are safe at home. No one can deny climate change. One village, Grazalema in Córdoba registered a staggering 672mm of rain in just 36 hours. To put that in perspective, that is the equivalent to London's average annual rainfall!! Imagine. No I can't. 

Amazingly we managed a walk in the morning. It was on Wednesday I read an article I urge you all to read by Helen Rumbelow published in The Times on 4th February. This week has been all about the latest findings from these millions of  Epstein files published a week or so ago. Rumbelow studied them and I thank her for that. Rather than focusing on those involved - the big names - she explores the vile club of women hating men these powerful and rich men belonged to and still do. It is chilling and makes you understand just how widespread this is. The sorry story is that only 2 people have been convicted - Epstein himself and Maxwell.  There is not enough evidence to put the rest - Gates, Musk, Trump, Andrew, Clinton, Madelson, etc - behind bars. Ah but Pandora's box has opened and we know what they did and some of them are getting their comeuppance. If only poor Virginia Guiffre had not committed suicide and lived to see at least some of it. As the article has a paywall, I copied and pasted it into a Linkedin article which you can read here. It only takes 5 minutes. Bravo Helen Rumbelow. All women should read this. 

It was in the afternoon I had my first session with Carlos the computer geek. He was my saviour and it was fun working with him. I was exhausted after 1.5h and I would have another session the next day and by Friday everything was submitted and I could feel peaceful again and not worried about having to sell our houses. 

Thursday saw me working on the forms, now by myself, until I had to go to the Qurión hospital for my annual gynecological MOT as I call it. The smear was fine and now I will have  appointments for a bone density test followed by the dreaded mammogram and echo mammogram. I go every year and have being doing so since I gave birth. My mother had breast cancer so I must be extra careful and I try to be. 

Eladio went with me and we had to wait more than an hour for my appointment but were home on time for lunch with Suzy. The rest of the afternoon was spent working with Carlos who accessed my computer remotely and by the end of the day nearly all was done but not quite dusted. 

Friday brought more damned rain. It also brought a negative reply from the Land Registry Office in Santa Pola. What had we done wrong. I rang the office and  apparently I hadn't ticked something. This time I didn't need Carlos' help. I just redid it and rang the girl to see if all was well and it was. I felt like a champion. 

Friday was a champion day actually as it was the day we went for lunch with Suzy - her Kings' Day present to the 3 of us, Eladio, Oli and I. She took us to Honest Greens which Honest to God, hahaha, I love. What a place. The food is so good and  healthy and the place has good vibes. It was lovely just to be the 4 of us,  the original family which doesn't happen often. I have chosen one of the photos we took that day as my feature photo. Here are some more.

Suzy's Kings' Day invitation lunch at Honest Greens on Friday

Best of all was the fact that Suzy could invite us as she now has  a job which she takes very seriously. A year ago I would never have envisaged that this day would come. Bravo Suzy. She is seeing a new therapist online - a lady from Cork - and is also going to Yoga classes. What I don't like though is that she now back to smoking dope which is so bad for her as it can trigger her delusions. I wish she could stop. She knows she has to but it's not easy. I understand as I am a smoker but not of dope which I have always hated.

On our way there I had spied a Balbisiana bakery which must have just opened recently. So I had to take the girls there on our way back. Suzy didn't want to be tempted, Eladio has not got a sweet tooth thus it was only Oli and I who went in. Balbisiana is the nearest to a chic Parisien patisserie or even a Bettys although the branch in Pozuelo is quite small. I first heard of this bakery through a friend, Juana who I think knows the owner Paula. Paula started her cake business online a few years ago and now has at least 8 bakeries in Madrid including one at Terminal 4 of the airport. Well done. I am not surprised because her cakes and pastries are utterly divine. Braveo Balbisiana. Here is Oli posing for me while we decided which truffles to take home.

Oli at Balbisiana in Pozuelo on Friday. We had trouble choosing. The place is divine. 

I had earned a rest in the afternoon when we got back as all my work had been done and I could enjoy my peace again. 

We had guests coming and going this week but I hardly saw them. Bless them. They are loyal guests who always come back. 

Saturday dawned and I was up a bit too early. It didn't rain on our walk but then the heavens opened so I'm glad we went when we did. Tana was off and is coming back today to help with my birthday lunch. Thus I made lunch and most of it was preparing artichokes which take ages to make but when they are on your plate they are delicious. Suzy was happy with them too. 

Today, my friends, is my birthday and we shall celebrate it with the family as we always do.On the menu will be my home made beer battered fish and chips with mushy peas, followed by a white chocolate and strawberry cake from Alverán.  My birthday won't end today as we shall continue to celebrate when we go to Valencia tomorrow. What  a treat.

And that's it from me for today. I must get ready now to go out with Eladio to have chocolate and churros for our breakfast, a wonderful treat we both love.

Cheers till next Sunday,

Masha