To A&E in León, Oli and family fly back from Mallorca and join us in Montrondo, 60.000 migrants cross into Ceutu, Spain from Morocco, a family christening in the village and other stories of the week.

Montrondo, Sunday 2nd August, 2026

Fun at the party yesterday

Good morning everyone from Montrondo where we have been since 14th July. It is really like a home away from home with the difference being we are up in the mountains and have escaped the heat of Madrid. Oh how I love this place in the summer. 

Thankfully, I can report that the terrible fires that raged in Madrid last week are finally under control and those evacuated have gone home. There are more of course and there was one very near here but it was put out immediately.  The main news here this week was of course the crossing of over 60.000 migrants from Morocco into the Spanish city of Ceuta which was a provocative invasion but I will come to that later. 

It was quiet until this week when more and more members of the family came and now the houses are full and yesterday at the christening for the latest addition to the family, little Tirso, there were 57 people gathered here, 40 adults and 17 children. Imagine!

Last  Sunday was the quietest day of the week. We didn't do much, our only excursion, our daily evening walk to Murias and back.

On Monday I decided I needed to go to A&E in León where there is a big hospital. My UTI was not getting better after two different bouts of antibiotics so off we went. I even took my suitcase as I thought I might be admitted. Thankfully, I wasn't. We spent most of the morning there and at one point they took me aside and injected me with what I thought was a potent antibiotic which turned out to be "Nolotil" a potent pain killer I did not need.

At A&E on Monday in León

To cut a long story short, the antibiotics were not working because unknowingly I had two bacteria; nasty ones called Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis. They had come out in the culture results a few days after my first visit to A&E in Madrid but no doctor had seen them. I had showed them to AI which I now know you cannot trust. So one may have been killed off but not the other. Thus I was given yet another type of antibiotic which I have to take for 8 days. I am hating it because it has caused some sort of fungus in my you know where which is driving me mad.  We spent all morning at A&E but I came out relieved I didn't have to be admitted. We then drove into León for a late lunch. Later we shopped at Mercadona to stock up on things we cannot buy in this area. I think we didn't get home till nearly 7pm feeling pretty exhausted. We still managed our evening walk though. 

At about that time, Oli and family were flying back to Madrid from their holiday in Mallorca. Clever Miguel asked the pilot if Elliot and Juliet could visit the cockpit and they got the thrill of their lives. Elliot said there were a "lot of buttons". Here they are, the little mites having an exciting time.

Juliet and Elliot in the cockpit on the flight home from Mallorca on Monday

Tuesday was spent washing and cleaning in anticipation of their arrival on Wednesday. I also did a lot of rental admin stuff. This is a busy time of year for me, especially with all the reservations in Santa Pola and El Cuetu. But so far, so good. I have had some very happy guests who gave me great reviews which is wonderful. This  year I have a good cleaner in El Cuetu and Gina who looks after the flat and all my guests in Santa Pola is a treasure. Meanwhile, in Madrid, Oli took the kids for a much needed haircut. She sent me these photos:

Elliot and Juliet after their haircuts in Madrid on Tuesday

That evening we invited our neighbours, Pili, Toño and Dolores to wine and pistachios on our terrace. It was wonderful but I got a splitting headache afterwards. Alcohol often does that to me and I should drink very little which I do but sometimes I don't and then pay for the consequences. 

Wednesday came and our quiet time was over. I spent the morning cooking non stop as Oli and her family were arriving for lunch. I made the kids' favourite meal; meat balls, 60 of them! I served them with rice which came out perfect and runner beans. The bread was local from Murias, Oli's favourite and dessert was a platter of divine fruit: black cherries, cantaloupe melon, pineapple and black figs. Not for me, apples, pears and bananas. 

The table laid for lunch on Wednesday when Oli and family were arriving.

It was hot that day in the village with the temperature reaching 28ºc but no complaining as that is 10 degrees less than Madrid and bearable. 

They arrived on time and it was a sweet reunion. The kids were delighted to be back. Later Oli asked Elliot from a scale of 1 to 10 how happy he was. His answer was 10. Well, it would be. Here the kids have all their cousins and other children from the village to play with. Here they are safe and can ride their bicycles till Kingdom come and stay up late. They are never bored here. When I watch them I am reminded of Suzy and Olivia when they were small and how much they enjoyed their time here.That also makes me conscious of our age. We are now the same age as Eladio's parents were at the time and we were the age of our children who are now nearly all in their 40's (from 55 down to 34). It is lovely to watch but makes you feel a bit old. Their cousins range from aged 16 to 5 months old with many around 4, 5, 6 and 7; perfect for 4 and 6 year old Elliot and Juliet who will turn 5 and 7 in September. It's a wonderful age as they can be independent here and their parents less vigilant. 

As soon as lunch was over, Miguel, my son-in-law went upstairs to assemble their new furniture from Ikea which had arrived in their absence. That day he finished the bunk bed and the next day their chest of drawers. I always think sleeping on a bunk bed is very exciting for children. Their room used to be my study. Now I don't have one but right now I am writing from the terrace at the back of the house which is  a lovely place to be and very inspiring. I am writing as they all sleep as it is impossible to do so when everyone is up as there are too many interruptions.

Since last year, we now have a bar in the village which is the focal point in the summer. Elliot loves it, knows all the prices and is especially happy as his drink, Aquarias or similar (not allowed Coca Cola) comes with some fruit gums on a plate. He was joined by two of his cousins. The bar was selling raffle tickets for Saturday's Santa Marta fiesta. For 1 euro you got 6 or 7 numbers and the prize was 300 euros. I bought numbers for all of us present and got the kids to put their names on the back. Years ago the raffle was for a baby lamb and our family won it. You won't be surprised I didn't want to eat it after getting to know the poor little animal. Thankfully, the raffle is not for an animal to be eaten .Much better to win money, hahaha. Oli was greeted by lots of the villagers who are firm fans of her on TV and many had seen her reporting on the earthquake in Venezuela. That made me very proud of course. 

I made the dinner for everyone but didn't partake of it as these days I am just now hungry for in the evening. We have a timetable problem here for the evening meal as Eladio wants his at 8 pm and the kids are out playing at that time. Thus I decided that from then on,  I would make lunch every day but not dinner. Making lunch can take hours until everything is put away and I refuse now to do that in the evenings too. In a way I went on strike, hahaha.  So Eladio and I went on our walk which we wouldn't miss for all the tea in China for want of a better expression. 

On Thursday, as always, I was the first up. I got up at 6.30 with Pippa who always gets up with me. We went for a coffee to Senra with Toño and Pili which was a nice interval in the day. I came home to start lunch which was roast lamb with roast potatoes which everyone loved. Lamb is my favourite meat. We tried to have a siesta but the noise from upstairs was thunderous. Many more members of Eladio's big family arrived and soon it felt a little overwhelming. We now all have a house each and I simply cannot fathom how we used to sleep when there was only one house, a restored barn and one bathroom to boot. We told Elliot the other day that when Eladio was  a child there was not bathroom or running water. He asked if they were poor.They were poor but never went hungry but were rich in many ways. When I see our grandchildren refusing their food I imagine what it was like for Eladio and their siblings as children. I bet they never dared to. Kids have it so easy these days and live in abundance. I think it was good for Elliot to hear his grandfather's story. The bar used to be the school and "Booboo" explained to his grandson that their were different entrances for the boys and girls. That he couldn't fathom. 

As we went for our walk that evening on the old path, there were tractors making haystacks in the fields. It was a sight for sore eyes. I had to have a photo of the hay stacks, the shape of these here are called "rollos"  (rolls). Eladio told me how hard it was every summer when he was young and the whole family had to work together to make them with their hands. Imagine!

Me with haystacks freshly made in the fields on our walk on Thursday evening. 

It was around that time and earlier that there was a mass crossing of migrants into the Spanish enclave, Cuetu in North Africa of up over 60.000 Moroccans and nearly 60 people died trying.  Word had spread that entry was allowed or rather that migrants would not be turned back after a court sentence prohibiting the return to Morocco of those who swam there. Many, many did, wearing wet suits and or rubber rings. Once on Spanish territory, they removed the suits, took our their phones and sent photos back to Morocco encouraging others to do the same. This came after the court sentence but also after Pedro Sánchez, Spain's PM, had visited their arch enemy, Algeria. Trump, an ally of the dictatorial Moroccan King, was gleeful in his criticism of Spain's left wing government. He accused it of encouraging migrants to come after the legalization of over a million in recent times. He used it as an excuse or example of what would happen to the USA if they let all illegal immigrants in.  He is also cross with Sanchez for his stance against Israel and for not letting the USA use their military bases in Spain for the Iran war. It was very probable that the Moroccan King supported the mass influx into Spain by allowing the Moroccan police to turn a blind eye. However, I think he overestimated the numbers that came.  Ceuta has a population of 80.00 so imagine the influx. It was awful and felt as though the city and the country had been invaded. Shops closed, people stayed at home and the unwelcome migrants had nowhere to go. The Promised Land did not look attractive once the tens of thousands arrived. There was nowhere to sleep, nothing to eat and the Spanish authorities just could not cope. Today as I write, most of them have turned back home. But Morocco and Trump have made their stance and made Spain look bad. Meloni of Italy and others wanted to close Spain's border with the rest of the Schengen countries and now Morocco, gleefully has made a political statement over the ownership of Ceuta and Melilla. It's complicated to go into but both enclaves have belonged to Spain since 1580. It's a bit like the Gibraltar issue which the UK hangs onto and of course the local population do not want to belong to poorer Morocco where there is a dictatorship. It was a huge crisis and it won't go away.

Far away in Montrondo life was quiet and we could hardly imagine what life was like in Ceuta; frightening I imagine.  On Friday morning Juliet visited us in our bedroom in the morning as she does often. Well, both of them do. Elliot comes to pinch my chewing gum. They love coming to see Pippa who sleeps with us. Here is Juliet stroking our wonderful canine member of the family.

Juliet stroking Pippa in our room where she comes often to see what we are up to.

Her brother Elliot loves Pippa just as much and here he is also stroking her that morning outside the house.

Elliot stroking Pippa. Oh how he loves her. 

That morning saw me at the local GP. She couldn't find the results of the urine culture but gave me something for the itch which didn't really work. It will only go when I finish the antibiotics, I suppose. From there we went to Senra for coffee, stopping on the way at the chemist. Aftewards I spent 3 hours making lunch which was exhausting. Yesterday we had a break from cooking because of the party but today will be similar. It's not really a holiday if you have to cook for 6 people every day is it? More and more people arrived for the party the next day and it was all rather crowded.  But it is wonderful for the whole family to gather for such an important gathering. The only pity was that Suzy couldn't come and I missed her dearly.

Saturday came, 1st August and the day of Montrondo's patron saint, Santa Marta. We had our own party really and I didn't see anything of the village festival. In any case the big event, the dance, never starts until 11.30 at night, way past my bedtime. 

The village mass was at 12.30 and was followed by the baptism. Here are some photos to remember the occasion.

At the baptism yesterday

Once it was over, we headed back to where our group of houses is with its big quadrangle, called "el corral". Pili had organised outside catering with 4 waiters and we didn't have to do anything except enjoy the food, the company and the festivities. I have to say it was the most splendid party I have ever seen in Montrondo. Here are some photos to remember it, including the dancing afterwards.

Some pictures from yesterday's party in Montrondo

Juliet in her element

Elliot

We had group photos taken and I have to include this year's photo of Eladio and his 5 siblings, as always in order of age. This is it.

The six siblings. From right to left: Eladio, José Antonio, Adela, Alejandro, Pili and Isidro. Their ages range from 82 to 64.  Life was very different for them when they grew up and a party like yesterday's would have been unthinkable. They had parties, of course, but everything was done at home. 

The party continued until late, long after the caterers had gone. We had a makeshift dinner all together outside in the "corral" which each household contributed to.  I think we must have all gone to bed exhausted but happy. It was a wonderful day; a day to be remembered.

Today is Sunday and I shall be cooking again as all my sisters-in-laws will be too. We shall probably go to Senra for coffee and in the afternoon gather together in the "corral" after which Eladio and I will resume our evening walks. We need them to work off the calories consumed yesterday hahaha.

I have come to the end of the tales of this week. All that remains is to wish you all a good day and to thank you for reading my blog. For that I am always grateful.

Cheers from Montrondo, 

Masha

Spain wins the World Cup, Andy Burnham, new PM of the UK, Oli and family in Mallorca, Suzy joined us in Montrondo, Spain declares national emergency over inextinguishable wild fires near Madrid, the chicken episode and other stories of the week.

Montrondo, Sunday 26th July, 2026

Great to have Suzy with us this week in Montrondo. Here with her father and Pippa in Villablino. 

Good morning all from very quiet and cool Montrondo. 

We have come to spend part of the summer and escape from the heat of Madrid. Would you believe we have the central heating on while terrible wild fires are raging in Madrid? Thankfully, they are quite far away from our house; 32km which actually sounds  near. Smoke can be seen from nearly everywhere in the region and the fires, now one great "massive inferno" declared a national emergency this week, are  inextinguishable. The priority is to save lives, then houses and then the countryside. Unless a miracle  happens half of the province is likely to burn. 

It rained heavily here last night and this Sunday will be very quiet compared to last Sunday. That morning we did something different and were lucky to enjoy a traditional handicraft fair not so far from here, in El Puerto de la Magdalena. It is an historic mountain pass with an altitude of over 1400 metres. That is the place we shall be heading to to witness the full eclipse on 12th August. We all went together, all being Eladio's brothers and sisters and their spouses who were here at the time. It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed the market, the stalls with local people weaving wool, making knives and leather work. I bought some local butter and  cured beef (cecina). There was an outdoor mass to be held outside a tiny little Pre-Romanesque chapel  which we didn't attend. We missed the music and dancing but I loved seeing the group called Tsaciana in their regional dress and had to have a photo. I promised them I would publish it in my blog so here it is. 

The Tsaciana group who were at the handicraft fair in El Puerto de la Magdalena last Sunday. I loved their regional dress and wish I had seen them sing and dance. 

We had one taken together to remember the moment too and this is it.

At the fair last Sunday. We had a very enjoyable time.

Last Sunday was of course the day Spain was playing Argentina in the World Cup final in New York. The whole country was on tenterhooks and I dare to say most of the world as Argentina were not the favourites in that they were not popular for their bad behaviour in the tournament. They behaved atrociously in their match against England in the Semis and they went on to use the same tricks against Spain. They were the favourites to win too as they have Messi and it seemed that FIFA and Trump wanted the South Americans to win. I imagine Trump did not want to hand the cup to his least favourite country. It seemed to take forever for the match to start at 9pm. Most people gathered in the bar here as they did in bars and squares all over the country but we preferred to stay at home and watch it quietly. I hardly watched it and felt like hiding behind the sofa because I could not bear to see my adopted country lose when they had got so far.  It went to over time at 0-0 and it seemed as if the Argies wanted to force a penalty shootout but they were thwarted when substitute Ferrán Torres scored a goal in the 106th minute. There had been other goals from Spain but they were deemed not valid although I think many people did not agree. Ferrán performed the same magic Andrés Iniesta performed when he scored the only goal in the 2016 World Cup final against Holland in South Africa. I only looked when the whistle was blown. At the time I didn't see how some of the Argentinian players physically attacked Spanish players. They were Paredes and Molina. One of them went for Gavi's throat and the assistant coach was seen striking Dani Olmo. The Captain, Messi, the great Messi, was distraught from not winning but didn't do anything to stop his team members hitting Spanish players in sheer envy, anger and frustration for losing. The Argentinians don't know how to lose. Then during the ceremony they turned their backs on the Spaniards being given the cup. I have to say they rather ruined the joy and the whole world saw it. The whole world also saw how Trump tried to get in the photo of the winning team and had to be cajoled by Spain's captain to move on. He still managed to get in the picture though. Just look.

The winners last Sunday with Trump having just got out of the picture.

I can't judge how well Spain played but from what I read they were the best team. They didn't start out as the favourites but if you think about it they should have. Spain won by team work rather than a team working for a star like Messi or Ronaldo. Yes, we have Lamine but he wasn't on best form. Spain entered this year's World Cup as the winners of both the 2024 UEFA Euro Cup and 2023 Nations League. That alone should have been enough to make them the favourites along with Argentina, the previous reigning champions. It was a great win for Spain and victory for fair football. Spain went mad the next day celebrating in the streets of Madrid with millions there to see the team. The victory was good for the country's brand mark with the news being published on the front pages of most newspapers in the world. I was happy for Spain and disgusted with Argentina.

On Monday while Spain celebrated getting a second World Cup star, something very important was happening in England. Andy Burnham who was last week appointed Leader of the Labour Party, became the country's new Prime Minister after the Party forced out poor Kier Starmer. He is the 7th Prime Minister in a decade after David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak and Starmer. I really hope he sorts the country out.  He is from Manchester and seems a charismatic, down to earth sort and is also Cambridge educated (like my dear Father) so he must be a clever chap. I am not sure I was too happy to read that he has appointed the most Oxbridge filled Cabinet since 1945 with 61% of his Ministers having studied at either Oxford or Cambridge. Half of his Cabinet are women which is a record but he only has 4 ministers of ethnic minority. The top jobs, otherwise known as The Great Offices of State (PM, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Foreign Secretary and Home Secretary) have all been given to Oxbridge graduates; noticeably 3 to white men and only one British Pakistani woman). It seems a bit too elitist for a Manchester man and head of the Labour Party. Very obviously he has received much criticism for his choices and we are talking about the Labour Party. In his first speech outside Downing Street he promised he would deliver a "circuit breaker" - I suppose he means a big change of some sort. He went on to promise to end rough sleeping - which I saw a lot of in Manchester a few years ago. I only hope he can. He made more promises, one of which was to set up a  Number 10 in Manchester to give the north of the country more power to deal with its own problems. He made more promises and I hope he can keep them. 

Andy Burnham, Britain's new PM who was sworn in this week

We had a quiet day. I made cocido and we invited Eladio's youngest sister, Pili, for lunch. Afrer FaceTime with Amanda, I joined the family for tea at Toño's house.

 That day, very excitingly, our grandchildren, Elliot and Juliet, were flying for the second time in their lives. They flew with their parents to Mallorca where they are still on holiday. Here are some lovely pictures I got and which I wanted to show you.

Olivia and her family on holiday this week in Mallorca

Tuesday was the day Suzy was coming to join us. She drove the Mini to get here and we were dying to see her. She would have come for two weeks but she got a new job which she will be starting tomorrow so we only had the pleasure of her company for a few days. It was on Tuesday that my energy seemed to come back after my ongoing bout of upper UTI. I was on the last day of my antibiotics, felt better but knew the infection hadn't gone as my kidneys still feel sore. I decided I would see a doctor the next day. 

In the morning I got the sudden urge to clean the house from top to bottom and when I say top to bottom, I mean that. I cleaned all the windows, doors and bathrooms and helped Eladio get rid of all the spiders' webs. He also got rid of two wasp nest on the terrace. Oh what a great job I did.  Eladio helped by hoovering the whole house. It was nearly all done by the time Suzy arrived. She came with a huge smile on her face happy to be back in her childhood village and we had lunch together. I spent time in the afternoon on the sun loungers under the shade of the apple trees in our back garden and later joined Suzy for coffee at Eladio's other sister, Adela's house. She has two houses there and they command the best views of the village. I had to take a photo of the dry field and church in the distance, the landmark of Montrondo.

View from Adela's house

I had a little techy time in the evening. I wanted to get rid of my McAfee anti virus which I was paying for in vain as I my PC comes with the inbuilt Windows Defender. With a little help from AI I got rid of it which was not as easy as you would think. I felt quite pleased with myself. 

We had a light dinner and then Suzy and I went with Pippa, of course, for a wonderful evening walk to Murias and back. She is a fast walker and is hard to keep up with but that was good for me. I felt great when I got back and slept better too.

We were alone on Wednesday.  José Antonio's family had all gone to a hotel by the beach in Galicia and Pili to León. We did a bit  more cleaning and then Suzy and I drove to the nearest big town with a clinic, - La Magdalena. I needed to go there to get an out of region health card as mine is obviously from Madrid. I got one and also an appointment to see the doctor in Murias that very morning. When we left the clinic, there was an outdoor market and Suzy and I made a beeline for it and bought some clothes which I now regret a bit. Here I am trying on a blue dress which everyone seemed to love but I am not sure about.

Trying on clothes at the local market in La Magdalena on Wednesday

After a coffee together, we drove back and Suzy left me outside the Health Clinic in Murias,  a tiny little one. I saw the lady doctor, a very young one, almost immediately and told her the story of my infection. She took a quick urine test and said I was still positive and prescribed me different antibiotics which I got at the local chemist. She told me to take them for 3 days but the 3 days have passed and I am still taking them and today or possibly tomorrow we will go to a proper hospital in León to get a better opinion of how to proceed if the antibiotics are not working. What  a bore.

I spent the afternoon reading in the garden and later went for another evening walk with Suzy and Pips. It was good quality time with my daughter.

Thursday came and it was shopping day. The four of us, Pippa included, drove to Villablino to get food to replenish the fridge and cupboards and have enough for when Oli and family arrive this week. We all rather enjoyed shopping in Gadis and coffee afterwards. We took some photos to remember our time there and I have chosen one of Suzy with her father as she doesn't often feature graphically in this blog. Here is another we took, this time of Eladio, Pippa and I. 

In Villablino on Thursday to do the food shopping

We had a lovely lunch and again I spent the afternoon outside reading. Later I went for my evening walk with Eladio and Pippa as Suzy had a funny tummy. We saw a pony, a donkey and two horses in one of the fields which made my day. I do love animals, especially horses and donkeys. Here are some pics of that splendid evening walk with my husband.

On our evening walk on Thursday evening

That very evening the catastrophic wild fires began in Madrid, sparked accidentally by a farm vehicle. That night the Madrid government asked the central Government to declare a national emergency which is what happened. The next day strong winds caused various fires to merge into what has been described as a "massive inferno" and is the worst fire ever in Madrid. Firefighters declared it inextinguishable and Spain asked the EU for help. 

Brave firefighters doing an impossible job.

Another fire in Avila threatens to merge with the Madrid fire and the wind looks as though it is all heading to the mountains near El Escorial. The numbers of those who have been evacuated seems to rise progressively and it is one big disaster. There is a similar fire in the Bordeaux region for which the French government have also asked for help from the EU. The news is frightening as the flames have burned 35.000 hectares. The Spanish PM was at the main control point yesterday and warned these were complicated times. Meanwhile, I was worried about our own home, just 30 odd kilometres away from the nearest fire but have been assured the fire is not going that way. But the wind could change couldn't it?  Yesterday Suzy got home and I was relieved to hear the sky is quite clear if a bit cloudy. Meanwhile, I feel for the people affected and admire those fighting this massive inferno. I sincerely hope I have better news on this front next week. 

Friday dawned and I had to go back to Villablino as I had bought the wrong tobacco. Suzy came with me and we did other errands too. It was more mother and daughter quality time. Thank you my darling.

Pili was back from León and had brought her family. It was lovely to see Tirso, the latest addition, her new grandson, who turned 5 months old today. We had coffee on our terrace and Adela came too. It got cooler yesterday and we had to go inside.

Friday was the day of the chicken episode. Eladio had been taking care of his brother José Antonio's chickens; a  hen and her three chicks and two other hens. He had to open and close the pen and let them out occasionally. His brother had rung him after dinner to ask after them and Eladio said they were fine which he thought they were until we went to feed them some old bread. I took photos and noticed how Pippa didn't take any notice of them. Previously José Antonio's son's dog, Pippa had killed two and we were worried about Pippa. After that carnage the hens stopped laying eggs until that evening when Eladio found one single egg which would be his breakfast hahaha.

Eladio during the chicken episode triumphantly holding one egg he found.

It was then he realised that the two spinster hens were nowhere to be seen. Eladio, Suzy and I looked after which we both went in as it started raining. That put paid to our evening walk I am afraid. Where were those chickens? If they didn't appear, what was Eladio going to say to his brother? About an hour later he found them in a tiny corner behind the pen and the crisis was over. The next day he found another egg which must mean the chickens are happy with the care he is giving them. He had good practice as a kid when he worked on his parents' small subsistence farm.

On Saturday Suzy was leaving which was a little sad. She packed and then spent time with Pili and her family and went to say her goodbyes to the significant people of the village to her. We went to have a coffee in Senra and came back to make lunch.

Yesterday something special happened. My friend Joanna who is a Brontë boff was in Haworth handing out leaflets advertising the Brontë birthplace. While there she recognised my friends Phil and Kathy from my blog and then they recognised her. What a lovely coincidence. Joanna sent me a photo which of course I have to publish in today's blog don't I? This is it. 

My friends coincided in Haworth yesterday and recognised each other from my blog. Kathy left, Joanna in the centre and Phil on the right. What a lovely coincidence.

We had another quiet day and I only went out in the afternoon to get a dozen eggs from Manolo. It is going shopping the Montrondo way hahaha. I was happy to hear from Suzy that our latest guests, a Dutch family, had arrived, were happy with the house and that she had welcomed them. Our last guests were a German family and they left me a really glowing review. This was it. 

A glowing review from my German guests this week which was music to my ears. 

A big thanks to Tana for her part in the story which is very big while we are away. I am happy to hear that everyone loves her. She is a treasure. 

It was cold last night but we still went for our walk. I couldn't believe it was only 14ºc while it was so back home. I was treated again to the sight of those lovely equine animals and this time they came towards me. If only I had had some bread or something to give them.

My equine friends who I greet on our evening walks to Murias

On our way, villagers told us that there was a fire in another Murias - Murias de Ponjos, about 30km from here and that the whole village had been evacuated. What a nightmare for them. For the moment we are safe and I hope it stays that way.

I slept well last night and woke up at 7.30 am, late for me. Today the weather will be warmer and I shall be able to do the washing which will dry quickly. I shall be doing household stuff which I quite enjoy here. 

Now this is it for this week. I wish you all a great Sunday and I wish with all my might those firefighters are able to control the massive inferno in Madrid and the fires in other parts of Spain and in France and Scotland. 

Cheers for now,

Masha

c

To Montrondo to escape the heat, Spain reaches the World Cup final, Gibraltar border abolished, an encounter with a bull and other stories of the week.

Montrondo, Sunday 19th July, 2026

Me (and Pippa) happy to be back in Montrondo

Good morning from Montrondo, my husband's village in the north of Spain where we have come to escape the heat of Madrid.  It is way cooler here, so much so we have had to put the heating on. We are high up in the mountains which we hope, this year, will not burn like so much of the country which is plagued with wildfires as the climate gets hotter and hotter. They say that wildfires are put out in the winter; meaning that forestation has to be kept clear but it never happens. In the old days farm animals grazed and kept it clear. Today the percentage of farm animals is about 10% of what it was back in the day. It seems we never learn.

Last Sunday was boiling in Madrid and we had planned to leave for Montrondo but I was diagnosed with upper UTI on the Saturday  and I spent most of the day in bed in my air conditioned room trying to recover. I felt better after two antibiotics but exhausted. Later this week I got the results of the urine test for bacteria and, unsurprisingly, the culprit is Escherichia coli, a bacteria that lives in our colon. In the gut E coli is harmless but if it travels to the urethra and then to the kidneys, my case, it can be lethal. Thankfully, we caught it on time and after 10 days of antibiotics I am better but wondering if the bacteria has gone completely. I really hope so. 

Of note last Sunday, Sinner won Wimbledon, in the absence of Carlos Alcaraz, possibly. I am happy to hear he will be returning to play soon after a long recovery from a wrist injury.

I was happy too that day  when, very unexpectedly, David, a neighbour of Ickenham sent me a picture and a video of my Aunty Gloria's tombstone. If you know me well, you will know that my father's sister and my favourite aunt died along with her family, Uncle Derek and my cousins Jacqueline, Antony and Michael, in a terrible air crash on the Island of Krk in former Yugoslavia. It happened on 23rd May 1971 and is something that has never left me. I was 14 at the time, just 2 years older than Jacqueline. It was the worst that has ever happened to our family. Well, David surprised me that night when he sent me a picture of the tombstone which he had painted as the letters had faded completely. He did so with a indelible marker and I thank him for that. 

I was very touched to receive a photo from David in Ickenham of my Aunt's memorial stone with the letters now repainted. 

Monday was a sluggish day too but not quite so hot. I was pleased to see my French guests at Santa Pola had given me a 10 star review on Booking. The previous ones had also given me a 10 so now my rating is an excellent 9.6.  You can see it for yourself here. This week 4 teachers from England came. I hope they are equally happy. My afternoon FaceTime call with Amanda in the afternoon cheered me up a lot. I do love our weekly calls. I was so bored in my room nursing my infection but feeling slightly better I decided we should leave for Montrondo the next day, come what may and Eladio agreed.

Tuesday was 14th July, Bastille Day, and the day Spain was playing France in the semi finals of the World Cup which we would watch that night in Montrondo. We did a bit of shopping before we left and at the last moment I picked up a Spanish flag for Eladio who was just a bit amused. Here he is smiling for the camera and for his crazy English wife.

Shopping to come to Montrondo on Tuesday morning. I bought a Spanish flag to cheer during the match which Eladio thought was most amusing.

It was a long drive, mostly because we always stop so often; me for a cup of coffee and a piece of toast, another time to fill the tank and finally for lunch in La Magdalena, about an hour away from Montrondo.

The first thing we noticed when we got to the village was how much cooler it was; 25ºc vs 35ºc in Madrid and it would get cooler. Eladio's sister Pili was there to greet us and his  brother Toño and wife Dolores were also in the village as well as his other sister Adela and her husband Primo. So we would have company which I craved. But first we had to settle in which took some time. We had to clean a bit too before we stored the food as we hadn't been for a year. Oli and family were here at Easter but the house needs a deep clean which we haven't got round to yet I'm afraid. Unfortunately there is no Tana here nor anyone to hire. Later we had tea at Toño's and it felt great to be back. 

Soon it was dinner time and then the match time. I honestly didn't think Spain could beat the great France and neither did anyone else. Everyone considered Spain the underdogs (what underdogs?). They pummeled the French. It came as a surprise. But hadn't anyone noticed just how well the Spanish team had played to get to the semi final?  Spain beat France 2-0 and shattered the citizens of that country's hopes for a 3rd World Cup and to boot Spain did it on their National Day. That meant only one thing, Spain would either play Argentina or England in the final. I just couldn't imagine a final between England and Spain as I would feel so divided but as my Anglo French friend, Adele, said "Masha you can't lose" and she is right. Except that wasn't to be as you know now and tonight we play Argentina in the "finalissima" where the European champions face the winners of the American cup and with my whole heart I want my adopted country to win. It can be done but I am worried about the favouritism towards the Argies that has been displayed throughout this World Cup. Am I wrong? Has this been rigged? Some people say FIFA now stands for "Fixing it for Argentina". I certainly hope not otherwise we wont' have a chance.

Eladio watched the match on his own while I only looked at the TV over my shoulder as I get too nervous. 

Eladio watching the match on Tuesday

Not for him sitting in a bar with lots of people to watch such an important match. He went to bed a satisfied man as did most of Spain I imagine.  That night we slept with pyjamas on and a duvet, a far cry from Madrid. I had Pippa in between my legs to keep me warm:-)

Wednesday was an historic day for Gibraltar, that Spanish enclave that by quirk of history belongs to my birth country, England. That day, and years after post Brexit negotiations, the land border between Gibraltar and Spain was abolished forever. That border came into being 118 years ago and when Franco was in power he closed it completely in 1969 and it was only re opened in 1982. Eladio and I experienced that in the summer of 1980 when we fell in love. We did a road trip to Morocco and stopped at the border hoping to be able to visit The Rock but there was no way possible. Many years later we visited it with my father when we did a tour of Andalusia. We stayed at The Rock Hotel which is quite famous and we loved it. What we didn't love was one of the monkeys landing on my poor father's shoulders. I am glad for Gibraltar and for the Spaniards who live near. It was about time. Now Gibraltar will have nearly all the benefits of the EU even though the UK left it. 

Our first full day in Montrondo began with a much needed morning walk. I was happy to be back here and  active again.  So this weeks' feature photo is of me beginning that lovely walk. It was on that walk that we encountered a bull in a field that was not fenced off. We saw it just as we left the old path for the road. This is Eladio pointing it out. 

Eladio pointing at the bull on our first walk

We carried on and just as we were walking back,  I spotted the bull walking towards us. It seemed a peaceful bull, not an aggressive one. Even so, my husband who was once a shepherd boy, made sure we stood well back to let it pass while he held Pipa tight. I watched that beautiful animal walking peacefully and was happy for it. That's how bulls should live. I hate bull fighting and I hate the bull run in Pamplona. I took a video which you can see here. 

Once back in the village, Pili and I drove to Senra for a nice morning coffee. I drove the T Roc and did so with great care.

The T Roc parked right outside our door. If Eladio could he would take it to bed with him:)

In the afternoon she made "rosquillas"; a ring shaped cross between a biscuit and a donut. Here she is with the plate piled high on her terrace with Toño. They were delicious. 

Pili and Toño and the plate full of "rosquillas"

Later Eladio and Dolores joined us and afternoon tea turned into an impromptu dinner outside including a wine and pistachio moment.  I have to add I was wearing jeans, a long sleeved t-shirt and my now iconic pink fleece bought in Hawes in Yorkshire. We all contributed. I brought out some "manzanilla" wine, a plate of ham and some left over Spanish omelette.  

It was a wonderful evening which finished just before England were playing Argentina. I desperately wanted my country to win for the second time since 1966. That summer I was 9 and was on holiday in Germany visiting my Aunty Masha with my family. I vaguely remember England was playing Germany in the final and someone called Bobby Charlton was very important but I was too young to understand the significance. England had reached its first semi final since then and had to go through to take the cup home. But it didn't work that way. After a wonderful early goal, England just tried to defend and the Argies weren't having it and became aggressive and in the final moments scored not one but two goals. That was England's hopes dashed, once again. There was a lot of political tension in the match because of the stupid Falklands War. With Spain it will be different. The press here are calling Argentina  a brother nation. Spain's 19 year old prodygy, Lamine Yamal will now face his great rival Messi who also played for Barcelona. This week Yamal's father unearthed a photo of Messi bathing baby Lamine for a Barcelona charity calendar. Fate would have it that 19 years later the baby Yamal of the Spanish squad will face the best footballer ever, Messi, the player who bathed him. Who would ever thought that they would be playing against each other nearly 20 years later. This is the now iconic photo.

This has to be the photo of the week. 19 years ago, Messi bathed Lamine Yamal for a charity calendar. Today the two face each other in the final. Delightful story.

But that won't stop Messi and his men from trying out dirty tricks. Holland did that in the 2010 final Spain won, so cross your fingers please for tonight. 

I woke up again on Thursday having slept a full 6 hours which is a huge improvement on back home. Eladio, Pippa and I went on our morning walk again but there was no sign of the bull which I had hoped to see again.  On our way back we always stop at the "pilo" for Pippa to drink some water. 

Coming back from our walk on Thursday and stopping for Pippa to quench her thirst. 

Meanwhile, back home the girls were together. Oli accompanied Suzy for a routine appointment and then they had lunch together. This is a photo of my beautiful girls together.

My beautiful girls having lunch together on Thursday

I made some chicken and rice concoction for our lunch and later Toño and Dolores came for tea/coffee and biscuits. It was a quiet day all round.

Friday came and we went to Villablino to do the weekly shopping. It is 20km away and the nearest place to buy food. It has an excellent supermarket called Gadis which I wish we had in Madrid. While there we had a coffee out and did other errands. We came home to put all the food away and which I hoped would last us a week. I bought a UTI tester at a chemist in the town and later did the test. I am still positive which worries me a little bit. 

While watching the news at 3pm, internet went. Last year I had a nightmare of getting a system up and working. I pay for it monthly and we only use it twice a year so I was rather upset it had gone. Later I knew why. My nephew Miguel and his family arrived that evening. They live in Riello abbout 30 minutes from here and he told us that the electricity had gone there which must have affected internet here. I cannot be here without it, mostly because of my rental business. So I was pleased it came back a few hours later. Miguel is Toño and Dolores' first born and I have known him since he was a tiny baby and I have to say he is one of the favourite of my nieces and nephews. It was good to see him and his Cuban born wife, Claudia and their children Luna (7) and little Camilo (4). Luna was donned out in various Spanish flags hahaha. 

Saturday came and although I had slept another 6 hours I was feeling so so. My kidneys were aching a bit more and so was my stomach. Thus I went through the motions. I managed our walk and made our lunch but it felt rather uphill. 

On our walk yesterday

I spent part of the afternoon writing this blog and only then could I join the others. When Eladio gets together with his siblings, talk is all about the past when they grew up here and their conversations with great bouts of laughter, are hard to follow but I love to watch them having a good time. They lived in very precarious times and practised subsistence farming. Eladio being the oldest and strongest was his father's work horse. But despite their semi poverty, they look back on that life fondly.

The day ended with a small dinner for me and leftovers for Eladio. For entertainment I continued watching the new remake of The Little House on the Prairie.

Last night England played France to determine the 3rd and 4th place in the World Cup. I am delighted to say England beat France 6-4.

Today is Sunday and I look forward to us all going to a morning market on the Magdalena mountain pass today.

Spain will face its hottest week of the summer with temperatures reaching up to 45c next week and I am so glad to escape it in cooler Montrondo.

I will leave you now to get on with my day.  It just remains for me to wish you a pleasant Sunday.

Cheers till next week. Masha.