Our special correspondent in Venezuela, home from Asturias, hot so hot in Madrid and most of Europe, reunited with Elliot and Juliet, Playa de Poó voted best beach in Spain, Olivia is home, Irene's 60th birthday party and other stories of the week.

 Madrid, Sunday 5th July, 2026

Olivia reporting on the earthquake from Venezuela, perhaps her most important  assignment ever as a TV reporter. Just look at her face and the dust on her microphone. She was our special correspondent in Caracas. 

Good morning everyone. Well, what a week it has been for our daughter Olivia who was sent as a special correspondent last Saturday by TVE to report on the horrific twin earthquake in Venezuela. It was, for sure, her most important assignment ever as a TV journalist. We are extremely proud of the sterling job she did, never losing her nerve while surrounded by death and destruction. She told me yesterday  she was not traumatised. I am not sure that is true as she  admitted she burst into tears on Friday after reporting on people sleeping  in tents on the street when she saw babies and children the age of Juliet and Elliot lying on wet blankets. No doubt the experience will have been very tough and it will leave a mark on her. She will never forget Venezuela and the suffering she saw. It was also very tough for her physically as the day she left her voice was hoarse. The only way to recover was to rest but she didn't get the rest. I told her to buy a miracle spray my dear friend Mari Carmen, who is a pharmacist, recommended me. It helped but took some time to kick in. At one point on the flight out she lost her voice completely. I was worried she wouldn't be able to work but thank the Lord she recovered it partially and was able to do her job well despite the physical handicap. 

Her first day there was last Sunday, 4 days after the freak 7.2 and 7.9 magnitude main shocks in an area called La Guaira a relatively affluent seaside town north of Caracas.  She had time to explore the terrain and see the destruction caused by the earthquakes with her own eyes. The scenes are similar to those of Aleppo. That is the only way I can describe it. Today as I write, the official death toll is 2595  and the number of missing is between 30 and 50.000.  About 6400 have been rescued alive from the rubble but many have not.  59.000 or more buildings have been damaged or destroyed and one wonders when those who are now homeless - in their thousands, will get their lives back again. The country was already in  dire straits with 8 million Venezuelans reliant on humanitarian aid. For now the rescue operations continue and the seeking of bodies under so much rubble. Many of the buildings were multi story and it is difficult even with the right means to recover bodies or rescue people from under tons and tons of rubble. This is the first photo Oli sent and it says a lot. 

Oli on arrival on the ground where the earthquake hit the hardest in La Guaira

This one of a woman with her head against a wall says just as much.

A desperate woman in Venezuela

Services of all types are crippled - water, electricity, hospitals, morgues -  you name it; nothing works. Our neighbour in Santa Pola, Lucy, who is from Venezuela is devastated. She said she thought her country could not get worse but the earthquake proved her wrong. Meanwhile, Donald Trump, the de facto leader of Venezuela, said that apart from the earthquake, the Venezuelans were happy and were dancing on the street. He should see the photo above. Lucy added it will take years for her country to recover if it ever does I wonder. Poor people. They were already in dire straits and now this had to happen.

Meanwhile, last Sunday, Eladio and I were leaving quiet El Cuetu where we had been to get the house ready for the summer and had had such a lovely time. Here is Eladio loading the car.

About to leave quiet and cool El Cuetu in Asturias last Sunday

It was 20ºc there when we left and about 36ª when we got home.  I only wished we could turn back and stay in the north of Spain, the only cooler part of the country. Thank God for air conditioning. We stopped for coffee, petrol and lunch which we had at Asador Siboney in Arévalo (Segovia). Famous for its suckling lamb and pork we chose the former and it was divine. Lamb is my favourite meat.

Roast suckling lamb at Asador Siboney in Arévalo on our way home from Asturias

We got home in the early evening to a very hot Madrid. The garden, despite the irrigation, looked dry as did the flowers. It was good to see Suzy, Tana and little Pippa. 

We were able to sleep thanks to the air conditioning in our room. But that was not the case for many people trying to sleep in the rest of Europe and the USA which are undergoing perhaps their severest heatwaves ever. Spain and France are the hardest hit in Europe but  records have been broken everywhere with temperatures reaching 37 and 38  in the UK and Switzerland and 41 in Germany, Slovakia and The Czech Republic to mention just a few. Most of these countries are not prepared for extreme heat as we are in Spain and there have been 1300 or so heat related fatalities. I read of people fighting to get their hands on fans at Lidl in France. Most of these countries are going to have to start preparing for future heatwaves. I may be used to the heat here but I hate it. The mornings are bearable but I mostly stay in my air conditioned room where I am now, in the afternoons. I long to go to Montrondo to get away from the heat of Madrid but we cannot go yet, probably not till the middle of the month, damn it. At least there the nights are cool and luxury of luxuries, you can sleep under a duvet. 

Even so, I slept fitfully that night. I was up early, as usual on Monday morning. Thus I was able to watch Olivia report live on the ground from Venezuela. Because of the dust and stench she often had to wear a mask and even glasses and a helmet. She was reporting for the early morning news,  her own programme, La Hora de la 1, another programme  called Mañaneros as well as the 24h channel which meant she was on several times most mornings. Morning for her was the night as it is 6 hours behind in Caracas and she had to be live at 7 am in Spain. That meant she kept to Spanish hours and slept during the day, getting up to work at midnight. That is when she would have her morning coffee - small and black, not the luxury of a cappuccino which we take for granted here.

Olivia beginning work at midnight Venezuelan time and 6 am our time. 

And here she is about to go live one morning this week, ready with her camera. You can see it is dark - midnight for her and 7 am for us or about.

Olivia about to go live - just look at the rubble around her. 

Just look at the rubble behind her. It was a tower block like the one just about still standing behind it, before the quake. 

Everywhere the international journalists, like her, were shuttled to La Guaira or elsewhere by the Government and were made to wear pink bracelets for identification. They were very much in the hands of the authorities but often had to fend for themselves in difficult circumstances. Even though they stayed at the Melia hotel one of the best in the city, food was scarce or rather good food was scarce. Also on the ground were rescue teams from all over the world. She travelled with Spanish rescue teams and their dogs on her way out and back again. Here are just some pictures of her on TV. I took loads and filmed her too which she said wasn't necessary. But I am a proud mother aren't I?

Olivia reporting live from Venezuela, living the harrowing moment in history as a TV journalist. 

This is one I particularly like as you can see her in the thick of it, not thinking about herself but about the job she was doing. It says a lot too.

Oliva on the ground in Venezuela this week.

Ah, and here is just one of her reports which I filmed on TV and uploaded to my YouTube channel and which you can see here. I was bursting with pride as you can imagine but I was also worried about the aftershocks. However,  I had to get on with my day which started with a  third appointment with my psychologist. Is it helping? I can't really say. She asks questions and I answer and soon the hour is over. I suppose it is doing me good to get any worries off my chest.

We were reunited with Elliot and Juliet in the afternoon whom we hadn't seen since before we left for Asturias. Not really wanting to, but at the same time, trying to cheer us all up, I got Eladio to bathe and bathed myself too. It was our first time this summer and Miguel caught us on camera.

Reunited with Juliet and Elliot and we bathed in our pool for the first time thanks to them.

We then had a lovely dinner together which was a great end to the day.

On Tuesday I weighed myself to see I had put on 300 grammes in Asturias. It's not a lot but made me understand that the 5mg dose of Mounjaro wasn't working as well as last year. The food noise was still there and my appetites was less suppressed. Thus I decided to ask my GP for the 7.5 mg dose. It costs a lot at about 350 euros for one month's dose but I wanted to try it. The day had not started well. Then came the Inland Revenue people who deducted 10.000 euros from our bank account, damn them. Now Pedro Sánchez wants to slap on 21%VAT on Airbnb and Booking rental earnings. So damn him too. For you to get an idea, if a guests pays let's say 100 euros, Airbnb already takes about 15% of that and then another 15 or 20% goes to the Inland Revenue. Add another 21% and what is left for the host who already has other expenses to incur for running the rental; not much I am afraid.   Try explaining that to guests who already think they are paying too much. They don't realise where their money is going to.

I was cheered up watching Olivia live on TV, but not from what she was telling the audience, just seeing her do  her dream job; special correspondent in the world's biggest news this week. Good for her. I did the food shopping with Suzy that day who seems to be quite stable at the moment. We had coffee together at Alverán in the shade, of course. 

I came home to make lunch, a spaghetti and prawn concoction which we all love. In the early afternoon Amanda and I had our weekly Facetime call which is always good for both of us. After that I went to see my GP in the afternoon. I asked her for one month of the 7.5mg dose of Mounjaro and she gave me it for 4 months. I am not sure I need 4 months or whether I want to pay so much. We shall see at the end of this month. I had a quick dinner with Eladio and then went to pick up Suzy who was with Copi in Bonanza where she used to live. We only had one car this week as the T Cross is at the garage waiting for the part that Eladio scratched to be repainted. Thus I found myself reliving the past, picking up my daughter at Copi's, as we used to do so often when they were children. I used to know my way backwards but there has been so much new building I got a bit lost but finally made it. It was good to see the two friends together. 

I had a bad, bad night and got up on Wednesday morning at 5.15. I watched Oli until at least 9.30 and was so proud of her. That morning I went out with Suzy on several errands, including taking Pippa to the vet as she has a funny lump next to one of her ribs. Thankfully it turned out to be fat; so not dangerous. However, after looking at her teeth, Lola, the vet, recommended we get her teeth cleaned again. This entails a general anesthetic. So we went again on Friday for her pre-op and on Tuesday she will undergo the operation which should leave her with clean, white teeth and a nicer smelling mouth, hahaha.  While out, we also went to the El Corte Inglés to get a present for Irene, a dear friend who celebrated her 60th birthday last night with her family and friends. I consider her family too. I lived with her family in 1978 for one year when I was a student in Madrid. I gave her and her brother Gerardo English lessons in return for board and lodgings. The parents, Pili and Gerardo,  and their children, Gerardo, Irene, Julieta and Toti became my Spanish family and were a big presence at my wedding. At the time I was 21 and Gerardo and Irene were about 13 and 11.  Later in 1984 when I was pregnant with Suzy, Pili became pregnant too and Lucia was born just after Suzy. Sadly, Pili lost her sight shortly afterwards. I was so looking forward to seeing my Spanish family again last night but gutted when I was told Pili was on holiday in Galicia and I wouldn't see her. Here are some photos of Irene, myself, Toti and Juliet in the summer of 1978.

Irene aged 11 when I lived with her and her family for a year in 1978 in Madrid

The Gonzálezs, my Spanish family at our wedding. Irene second to the right was my bridesmaid with her sister Julieta. 

Suzy and I were home for lunch and in the afternoon I went to have my nails done. Leaving the house in the middle of the afternoon right now is like walking into an outdoor sauna, it is so hot. 

I had a better night that night and so did England who beat Congo 2-1 to move onto the Last 16 of the World Cup. Spain would play Austria on Friday and thankfully both are through now, for the moment. England will play Mexico, the host country and no walk in the park and Spain will play Portugal which will not be easy either. I would love to see England or Spain in the final; I really would.

On Thursday I was up early, of course, and enjoyed the cool of the early morning - a blessed 17ºc.  Eladio and I went out on a few errands. It was while enjoying a coffee at Starbucks I read that my favourite beach in Asturias where we had bathed so many times last week, Play de Poó had been voted best beach in Spain by Conde Nast Travel readers. I couldn't agree more. Readers voted for it because of its "amazing transformation into a wave free lagoon at high tide and because of its dramatic backdrop of the Peaks of Europe mountain range".  I have been singing its praises ever since we first visited in 2020 so I was happy to read this news. Just to refresh your memory, here is a photo I took last week of my favourite beach which no doubt  will be become even more popular after this accolade.

I was delighted to hear that my favourite beach, Playa de Poó, was voted best beach in Spain by Conde Nast Travel readers this week. 

I immediately shared the news with our new guests who are arriving today and staying for a fortnight. 

Miguel and the kids came again in the afternoon and I went in the pool again to join them for a short time as I never stay in for long. We had a good dinner together but all of us missed Olivia. They left on time for the Spain Austria match which Elliot told me Spain would win (hahaha). Well, he was right. 

Friday came and it turned out to be Oli's last day of reporting in Venezuela. She was coming home yesterday after being asked whether she wanted to stay or not. I think she did but admitted she was needed at home to look after the kids while Miguel works this week. Also, and very sadly, the news from Venezuela is no longer breaking news. It is always the same with natural disasters. When they happen, the press flock there but people get tired of the same news and broadcasters have to think of their audiences. Sad but true, I am afraid. 

That morning I took my first dose of 7.5mg (Mounjaro) and waited the whole day to feel any side effects. I did get a big headache and my tummy felt a bit off. My appetite was still there though but not as strong. Suzy and I took Pippa to the vet for her pre op and I came home to rest as I had had a terrible night's sleep. Our guest Clemente from France but who works and lives in Switzerland left that morning after two weeks with us. He had finished his master in physiotherapy. Two French ladies came that morning, a mother and a daughter to see her accommodation for next year. Then in the afternoon a very strange guest came. I think he is a computer nerd and has hardly left his room since he got here which is weird.

I spent the afternoon quietly writing this blog post but also messaging with Oli. She rang me from the airport in Valencia (Caracas airport closed) and told me they had to fly via the Dominican Republic to refuel; another repercussion of the quakes. She had a long journey ahead of her and I only hoped she would be able to sleep.

She arrived on Saturday morning at around 9.30 am Spanish time and we would see her for lunch. Despite the guests and Tana not being here, I just wanted to have her near and be all together again. 

Saturday was 4th July, Independence Day in the USA and this year is the 250th anniversary, not that I care too much. I was not interested either in the much announced wedding of singer Tyler Swift. 

Eladio and I went out to get more provisions for lunch and came back to lay the table. We were all together at about 1.30 but I must have been too busy to take any photos. I managed to make  a decent lunch with the help of Suzy - thank you darling and I have to say the kids ate quite well. Later they left for Centro Oeste to take the kids to somewhere cool and probably drive the mini cars they have there. Thus we retired to our air conditioned quarters to rest.

Last night we went to Irene's 60th birthday party.  It was so hot when we left; about 39ºc. Suzy took a picture of us just before we left.

Ready to go out to the party last night

The birthday party was at the family home in Colmenarejo, not far from where they had a country house in Galapagar where I often went with them so many years ago. It's about a 45 minute drive and we got there in good time. The party was in full swing and Tomas, Irene's husband, was sweating away at the barbecue making delicious food of which I hardly ate thanks to Mounjaro. It was good to be reunited with the 5 siblings and I had to have a photo. It's not a great one but will suffice.

Me last night with the 5 González Gálvez siblings, from left to right and from oldest to youngest: Gerardo, Irene, (me), Julieta, Toti and Lucía. 

It was a splendid party with lots of food and drink and even though we don't know many people, we managed fine. We left at around 11 pm, which is way past our bedtime and left quietly while a musician was playing music. It is always awkward to leave a party without saying goodbye but I didn't want to interrupt the performance.  It was unusual for us to go out on a Saturday night but we had fun. 

Today is Sunday and I have guests leaving and arriving. Thankfully, Tana is back. I doubt we will be doing anything interesting today which will be another scorcher. 

I shall leave you now to get on with the day. Wishing you all the best, cheers

Masha

c

To Asturias to try and escape the heat, political turmoil in the UK and in Spain, bathing in Poó Beach, meeting up with Kathy and Phil, double earthquake in Venezuela and Olivia has been sent there, visiting Comillas, and other stories of the week.

El Cuetu de Meré, (Llanes) Asturias, Sunday 28th June, 2026

With Kathy and Phil on  Monday in San Vicente de la Barquera, a pretty coastal town in Cantabria

 

Hi everyone from El Cuetu in Asturias on our last morning here. My father always said "all good things come to an end" and he was right.

We came here last Sunday to try and escape the heat of Madrid but that turned out to be only partial. OMG how hot it has been in Spain this week including the north coast which is usually so much cooler. In Spain we are used to extreme heat but not so early in the summer. It seems to me that it gets hotter every year. In the UK they are also having a heatwave which is unusual. When I lived in the UK I well remember the famous heatwave of all time, the one of 1976.  It lasted on and off from June to August and was the hottest I had ever known it. At home we spent a lot of time in the garden sunbathing and cooling down using a hose pipe. I must dig out photos of that period.  On the bright side here this has meant we were able to bathe in the sea for 3 days running something practically unheard of in Asturias.

Politically, this week has been a total turmoil. Kier Starmer, after much pressure from the Labour Party decided to resign. It looks like he will be replaced by the Mayor of Manchester, Andy Burnham.  In the UK he will be the 7th PM in a decade which says a lot. Starmer resigned when things got tough. Meanwhile, the Spanish Premiere, Pedro Sánchez, is dug in, refusing to step down even as his administration is hit by one corruption case after another. This week his wife Begoña was ordered by the judge to give in her passport and his right hand man, Abalos and his subordinate, Koldo, were sentenced to jail for 24 and 19 years respectively. Sánchez, meanwhile, posted a video on TikTok about the heatwave. He should take a leaf out of Starmer's book, resign and call elections now!

This week too marked 10 years since the Brexit referendum. Since the vote to leave, I had to apply for Spanish nationality in order to regain European citizenship. I have lived in Spain since 1981 and am married to a Spaniard and thanks to Brexit we would not be allowed to retire in the UK. Plus, although, being British born I didn't get a say and could not vote as I had lived outside the country for more than 15 years. I often wonder if Brits in my situation had been allowed to vote, maybe the outcome would have been different. On 23rd June, 10 years ago, I cried. My father, who was 97 and living with us was appalled. He fought in the Royal Navy  in WW2 for peace and unity in Europe. Brexit made everything he did lose its value. Enough said because this issue makes my blood boil. 

Enough of politics too and back to our journey to Asturias which was so pleasant in the new car. It was Sunday 21st June and the summer solstice. We stopped for a picnic in Alar del Rei, a pretty village by the River Pisuerga in the province of Palencia. Here is Eladio enjoying our lunch outdoors.

Picnic in Alar del Rei on our way here last Sunday

We couldn't believe how hot it was in the village - 35ºc - when we arrived. Thankfully, the house was cool. After settling in, we watched Spain beat Saudi Araba 4-0. It was too hot for wine and pistachios on the terrace even at 10 p.m. Imagine. We arrived to no Internet which made me cross as we pay a monthly fee yet hardly ever use it and when we did it failed. The provider is my previous employer, Adamo and I have to say they responded fantastically and came the next morning to fix it.

On Monday morning I woke up to find the Nespresso machine didn't work either and had to resort to decaf tea, a very poor substitute. If you know me, you will know I need my morning coffee to function. Thus we drove to Posada for me to have a coffee in the bar. I immediately ordered a new machine from Amazon which arrived on Wednesday and meanwhile bought filtered coffee for my breakfasts. We had to come home for the Adamo man. Only after that were we free to go to one of my favourite places here, Poó Beach. I know it has a funny name but there is nothing funny about it. It's lovely and more like a lagoon and very safe to bathe in.

We are spoiled for a choice of beaches in the Llanes area but for me Poó beach takes the biscuit. Let me tell you why. It is a unique sheltered beach famous for its funnel shape and is actually a small estuary.  At high tide it becomes like a lagoon with no waves. At low tide the water recedes and becomes a wide open area of sand with water to paddle in  or walk in until the still water reaches your waist.  At low tide you can walk to the end of the estuary and think you were somewhere in Costa Rica. Surrounded by lush green cliffs and fields and its views of the Picos de Europa mountains make it a magical place. So  I was determined to get my first swim in the sea this year in Poó.

Bathing in Poó beach on Monday. 

We couldn't stay long though as we had a lunch appointment with our dear friends Kathy and Phil who were camping in their van, Vera, in San Vicente de la Barquera. This pretty coastal town is actually in Cantabria but is a 25 minute drive from Poó. We got a bit lost but made it and picked up our friends whom we had last seen in Keighley not so long ago. It was great to be reunited in Spain. I had booked a table at a restaurant called Boga Boga which AI told me was the best but I'm not so sure. The best thing was that it was nice and cool inside. No way could we have eaten outside because of the heat. Later we went for a walk around the harbour and had our photos taken by a Portuguese couple with whom I practiced my rusty Portuguese. I have chosen one of them as this week's feature photo. Here is another, this time with Kathy and me by the same sign.

Kathy and me in San Vicente on Monday

I got a marvellous ice cream I shared with Eladio and then did a bit of shopping in my favourite gourmet store in the area; Aramburu. I bought eggs, meat pie, chorizo and other local produce to consume here and take home for the girls.

I was keen to see the campsite in San Vicente where we drove our friends back. I used to camp with the Girl Guides and even with Eladio when we first met.  I think in another life I would like to have had a camper van. 

Lovely to see Phil and Kath in their natural habitat, on the road in Europe with their camper van. They are very organised. 

We left our friends to set up their camping space and drove back stopping at Posada at the ironmongers where we go to so often. Eladio needed tools for weeding and that is what he did when we got home. There was a lot to do and he also needed to revive the geraniums and hydrangeas to make the terrace look more welcoming.

Eladio sprucing up the terrace

Hydrangeas often grow wild in this area, well, in the whole of the north coast and never need any sprucing. Just look at this lovely bush growing wild near our terrace which I wish was ours.

Beautiful blue hydrangeas growing wild on their own at the back of our house

We had a little siesta too and on Monday we were able to have a drink on the terrace - our wine and pistachio moment; so important to us.

On Tuesday the awful 10th anniversary of Brexit, I refused to be upset and to enjoy our time here. We had come to spruce up the house, garage and terraces and prepare it for the influx of guests in July and August but we had also come to enjoy ourselves. 

Tuesday was another beach day and off we went to the Playa de Poó again where I got a bit burnt, despite lathering myself with sunscreen. It was hot again but Eladio did not go in the water. I did, of course. He sat reading the news on his phone. He is immersed these days in Spanish politics and follows the horrible corruption cases very closely. His favourite topic is the Zapatero story,  Spain's former left wing PM who is also embroiled in money making scandals. It may be the human condition to be greedy but honestly I ask myself didn't this man and many like him, already have enough with a life stipend and pedigree of being a former Prime Minister? Did he really need more? No, he was just greedy. I should add a greedy socialist which doesn't add up does it? Anyway, this is Eladio on Poó beach that morning.

Our spot on Poó beach on Tuesday morning

We came home at around  1.30 and I had a wonderful shower followed by a simple lunch in our little kitchen.

On Wednesday we went to Poó Beach for the third day in a row. I enjoyed my swim, our walk to the end of the estuary and a coffee at the Farola del Mar hotel with the most wonderful view.

Coffee with a view on Poó Beach on Wednesday

This time, and finally, Eladio took the plunge and really enjoyed his bathe. 

It might have been the sun and the heat but I managed two siestas that afternoon with which I caught up on a lot of needed sleep. There was a thunderstorm in the early evening which cooled the atmosphere. At last the extreme heat had gone. I had a pleasant catch up with my neighbour Loli on our terrace that evening before dinner. She is a lovely woman who takes care of our house so well. It is not her job to do so but she always looks out for us. 

On Thursday we woke up to the terrible news of a double earthquake - i.e. one after the other, that hit parts of the capital city Caracas. As if Venezuela didn't already have enough woes, an earthquake had to happen and make life even worse. The country is not equipped to deal with a disaster of this magnitude and so of course help has come from abroad but too late in many cases. The death toll rises every day and all those thousands of people missing can only be dead under the rubble which once were their homes. How long will it take for them to be rebuilt? Who will know much more is our daughter Olivia who was sent there yesterday evening for her programme, La Hora de la 1 on TVE1. She herself was only told on Saturday and had little time to prepare and was a little worried as her voice had gone. We are immensely proud of her for being chosen to cover this dramatic story on TV and wish her all the luck. As far as I know she joined a flight organised by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs as there are no commercial flights after the earthquake. We later heard she boarded a plane jointly organised by Repsol (providing logistics) and Iberia (providing the plane and crew). Apart from rescue people and 9 dogs, only authorised RTVE journalist were on board. The flight was to Valencia about 200km from Caracas from where they will have to travel by land to the capital this morning. This is her with the blue cap, boarding with her companion Sagrario who was formerly the correspondent in Cuba and Argentina; good company.

Oli boarding the special  flight to Venezuela yesterday evening. 

We will be following her movements with great anticipation. 

We didn't go to Poó that day.  As it was much cooler - it went down from about 35c to 20ºc that day, so we decided to do something different. We went to the coastal town of Comillas, not far from San Vicente. It is famous for its University (now in Madrid) and before that for its Seminary for aspiring priests, like my husband's brother, Toño. But it is also famous for one of the few Gaudí buildings outside Catalonia, the "Capricho (or whim) de Gaudí". It is one of his earliest works and is a marvel of a building with so much imagination. It was commissioned by  a wealthy lawyer, Máximo Díaz de Quijano who made his fortune in Cuba; thus an "indiano". Sadly, he only lived one week in the Palace before he died. Quijano loved music and botany and invited Gaudí to create a "bachelor" pad reflecting his passions. He also wanted to outwit his brother in law, the Marques of Comillas by building an eye catching, colourful and exuberant house or palace, compared to the Marques' more traditional Neo Gothic one. The local population were shocked when it was built in the 1880s. Its green and yellow sunflower tiles, together with red bricks and a Persian minaret were seen as a scandalous showing of wealth and flashy taste. Today it is viewed as a marvel and I agree.

So let me show you some of my photos of that fascinating visit and of that vibrant modernist villa, a real Gaudi "caprice" or capricho as it is called in Spanish. 

Gaudi's capricho palace in Comillas

After a long and rewarding visit, we walked to the Palace of Sobrellano, next door but entered it from the gardens from where there is a great view of the old Seminary turned University and built by the Marques of Comillas for poor pupils to become priests. Very noble of him. I took a photo of Eladio with the view in the background for him to send to his brother, who, by the way, although he had lived for a while in Comillas  never visited the  Guadi Capricho house. 

Eladio in Comillas with the old Seminary in the background

If I loved the Gaudi Palace I did not like the Marques' palace at all. It is very ugly. This is it.

The Palace of the Marques of Comillas is so ugly compared to the Gaudi Capricho

From there we walked back into the centre of the town which also deserves a mention for its beautiful Cantabrian architecture. Here is a picture of one of the squares where I had a coffee before the cultural visits.

Typical Cantabrian architecture can be seen everywhere in Comillas

It makes sense that the people of Comillas found Gaudi's palace an eyesore at the time compared to the architecture of the area, so typical of Santander. I love them both. 

We had booked a table for lunch at a restaurant once recommended to me by my friend Gerardo who knows the area very well. Called Ciclo en Ruente it is in the small Cantabrian village of Ruente, not far from Comillas on a lovely mountain road. We loved the village, the restaurant and the food. Here are some pics to remember that day.

We loved our lunch in Ruente (Santander)

On our way back on the fantastic A8 motorway that stretches along the whole of the northern coast from Galicia to the Basque Country, there was a torrential rain storm which cooled the air of course but was a bit frightening. Our car behaved wonderfully. The windscreen wiper is automatic, thank goodness as we haven't worked out yet where the button is on the steering wheel. Eladio has been reading the manual poor guy and honestly we could do with a one week intensive course to find out all the car can do which is a lot.

We came home to a much cooler village but later the sun came out and I was able to have my weekly Facetime call with Amanda outside under the parasol. We spoke for 2 hours at least and then were joined by Eladio and Andy. We laughed a lot which did us all a lot of good. Later came wine and pistachio time followed by a small dinner. 

Friday dawned and I was up at 6.30. That morning I bought our tickets to Bristol in September and then spent some time looking for accommodation, helped by Amanda and Andy bless them.  They went personally too see the places we had found online. I took my weekly dose of Mounjaro or rather injected it which is very easy. I then did some washing and thanks to Eladio we were able to open the washing machines when the cycle finished. I may be good with phones and televisions but often washing machines stump me. That's probably because I hardly ever use them haha.

The sun came out and it was a very warm day with temperatures reaching 26ºc, much nicer than 35ºc I have to say. That day we drove to Posada to get some fruit and visit the Friday market which is nothing to write home about. From there we drove to Llanes, our nearest big town and the nicest in the area. This was the Sablón beach which we saw after parking; full of people.

The Sablón beach in Llanes

We hadn't been to Llanes since September last year nd it was good to be back. We headed straight for our favourite bar, La Galerna, for my morning coffee. That is another of my happy places and here I am enjoying my coffee.

Coffee at La Galerna in Llanes

We sat and enjoyed the atmosphere for a while after which we walked back to the Sablón beach and up the rugged stone steps to the San Pedro walkway along the top of the town with great views. But it was hot and we didn't walk to the end. Here are some pictures of that beautiful but too hot a walk on Friday.

Our walk on Friday along the Paseo de San Pedro which was too hot for our liking

So we skipped it and drove back to Posada. There we did the boring annual shop of all the products needed for our guests this summer; loo roll, bathroom and kitchen products. The list is endless and this shopping is always a bore and a pain but has to be done. 

I made steak and chips with a salad for lunch which had me feeling full until breakfast the next the day. The afternoon was quiet. I spent time sorting out stuff in the attic for the cleaner and then wrote much of this week's blog post. I also did some ironing of the clothes I had washed in the morning. I felt like a real housewife which I am not really. 

Saturday came and it was our last day here.  Spain had played Uruguay in their last knock out match at 2 am that night. They won 1-0 and are through to the last 16. Late that night England played Panama and beat them 2-1 and also goes through. 

We did go to the beach again but to a very special one, one of Loli's favourites and one I was keen to see. Called La Playa de la Canal - the Canal beach -  it gets its name from its shape rather like a canyon. The high rock walls that surround it make it look like a canal, hence the name.  It is really a rocky cove and a wonderful quirk of nature that turns it into a small lagoon with just one wave on the sand as the tide comes in. We had to drive to Villanueva de Pría, a tiny village full of houses decorated with wild hydrangeas, park where we could and walk about a kilometre to the cove. It was a hot day and we trudged along the path which didn't look as if it led anywhere until we had arrived. We had to walk over big stones to make our way to the sand and sea and this is the picture that greeted us.

Playa del Canal - see what I mean about it looking like a canyon

There were very few people there which was a blessing. This is rural northern Spain, not one of the Costas and there is a huge difference. We put our chairs on the sand. Here is Eladio posing for me in front of this spectacular cove with his hat on, refusing to go in the water.

Eladio sitting on the Playa del Canal yesterday morning

I did go in and loved it. In fact I went in twice. Eladio caught me on camera to prove I did

Me in the sea yesterday at the Playa del Canal

It was a wonderful place to be and one more to add to places to go in the area. As I said earlier we are spoiled for choice when it comes to beaches and other places too. I had tried to book a table at a restaurant in a nearby village but was not lucky. Thus we came home to make a simple meal of fried eggs, ham and rice followed by strawberries and cherries; not bad at all.

I managed a short siesta and woke up to another headache which would put paid to any wine on the terrace on our last evening in El Cuetu.

I didn't sleep well and wondered how Oli would sleep. I woke up at around 6.30 on Sunday morning to learn she had already landed and wondered how she and her team would make it to Caracas. I do hope she is not in any danger but then that is the nature of a correspondent but it will be very exciting for her.

Soon we will be leaving too so I must get on and make my breakfast and do our packing. I look forward to going home but not to the heat that is awaiting us.

That's it from me now for this week which has been most enjoyable.

Cheers for now, Masha

Home from Yorkshire, planning my 70th birthday in Marrakech, reunited with Elliot and Juliet, Olivia in Lyon, Mounjaro doing the trick, summer solstice, off to Asturias to escape the heat and other stories of the week.

Madrid, Sunday 21st June, 2026. 

Summer Solstice

Reunited with Elliot and Juliet this week whom we hadn't seen since before we left for England. They are wearing the M&S clothes I bought for them at the Pudsey store near Bradford.

Hi everyone this hot morning in Madrid.  The temperature will reach an unbearable 40ºc  here  today and marks the beginning of the first major summer heatwave as if June hasn't already been boiling. Today is the first day of summer and also the Solstice and Midsummer. Thus it will be the longest day of the year. The sun rose this morning at 6.44 am in Madrid and will set at around 9.48 tonight. We won't be here at sunset though as we are leaving shortly to escape the heat to Asturias and get the house ready for all the bookings this summer. The temperature there will reach a more bearable 28ºc. That's why so many Spaniards head to the North Coast in the summer and how right they are. In El Cuetu which is further north, the sun will set at 10.06 pm although the last light will be at least an hour later. I do love the solstice in Spain and the long hours of daylight, up to 16 hours in one day. There maybe more daylight hours in the Nordics but dawn starts earlier and the last light is pretty similar. Anyway, I shall enjoy the day and look forward to wine and pistachio time tonight on the terrace of our house in El Cuetu where we haven't been since last September. 

Last Sunday was our first day home from Yorkshire. We had a grand time as you will know if you read my blog but I do not miss the weather which I gather perked up just as we left - Murphy's law. We had a lot to do that morning as the cupboards were bare. We took the new car, the VW T-Roc which we had only enjoyed for 2 days before our holiday. It is so lovely to drive. Here is a close up of Eladio at the wheel. Just look at the enormous screen, a bit like my large iPad.

Eladio reunited with his new car last Sunday

We went for a coffee to Alverán, my happy place round here and to get petrol as well as food from Carrefour; mostly fruit and veg I had so missed in the UK and which had me bunged up big time. There is is never any fruit when you eat out and all veg comes smothered in sauces so no wonder. We eat so much more healthily here and always cook from scratch. I do love fish and chips, curry, a Sunday roast and Afternoon Tea but if I ate that every week I would be enormous and feeling sluggish the whole time. Thankfully I was on Mounjaro while there and my appetite could not take too much food. 

On the topic of food we had some of the M&S delicacies I had bought in Halifax for lunch that day; but healthy stuff: smoked mackerel, sliced roast beef, salmon pate and one rather naughty sausage roll. We were eating it most of the week but always had it with a salad followed by delicious summer fruit; thick black cherries, all types of peaches, melon, raspberries, strawberries, pineapple or fresh figs. Oh how I missed Spanish fruit. 

I managed an hour's siesta in the afternoon which was followed by a long Facetime call with my dear friend Amanda who wasn't able to travel to Yorkshire. Oh how I missed her. We had a great catch up though and I can't wait for September when we will be going for her 70th birthday bash. We have 4 birthdays to celebrate that month; Juliet's on the 4th, Amanda's on the 13th, Elliot's on the 17th and Eladio's on the 23rd. Juliet and Elliot are growing up fast and will turn 5 and 7 respectively. How time flies.

 Time does fly and in February I will turn 70. How can I be 70, an old woman? Anyway, I told the family a while back in a very generous moment that I would be inviting them all to a trip abroad for 5 to 7 days.  The good weather options for February are Madeira, The Canaries and Marrakech. There are no direct flights to Madeira and the Canaries is not exciting  so I have decided on Marrakech which seems the most exotic option. I have been twice before and Oli has been too  but yonks ago and I liked it a lot. I have seen very reasonable flights on Ryanair as well as some lovely Riads to stay at.  I would love to stay at the Hotel La Mamounia, the best hotel in Morocco but as we can't, I shall invite the family to dinner or lunch there for sure. It was Churchill's favourite and it is mine too. I am now looking into the possibility of a night away in a desert in tents and searching for a restaurant for the birthday dinner with Moroccan entertainment. It's a nice project to work on and I hope it all works out and we have a trip we all enjoy and one to remember. It's 8 months away so I haven't booked anything yet but I will do soon. 

We came home to lots of guests. I have so many this year I can't keep up with them and can no longer rely on my memory and have to use my special calendar and of course the Airbnb app. Tana had looked after them all so well she deserves huge praise. She is a treasure, without whom we could not run this little business so well. 

There was a thunderstorm which cleared the air a bit and we had dinner outside after which we had a bit of a heart to heart with Suzy. I felt guilty having left her alone for so long and was upset to hear she had quit her job. It was too much for her but bless her, she is looking for another one. 

Monday came. Guests left and new ones arrived but we had a morning without any which is quite unusual.  Eladio and Suzy went to take the Mini for its biannual servicing. The last one was in Thessalonika and cost a lot less haha. Thus we had one car only. I had an appointment with my psychologist and Suzy with the hairdresser so she drove me there and picked me up later. She was looking good for an interview she had that day as a clinic dietitian. 

Oli, whom we hadn't seen since before leaving for Yorkshire, came for lunch and it was lovely to see her. It was just the three of us and she got to enjoy the M&S food I brought too. I also gave her a goodie bag including M&S bras for her and clothes for the children and a refill of their lovely Calm hand liquid soap as well as some of those amazing "outrageously chocolatey" biscuits all in one of the colourful Sainsbury's "sturdy" bags. Just as she was leaving, my new French family arrived, Jean Paul, Laurence and their daughter who has just graduated in Physiotherapy at the UEM University. They are from Normandy. She stayed to help me a bit and to practice her French which she loves so much. Later in the week Clemente, a French physiotherapist who lives in Switzerland, arrived for his second stay with us and will be here for two weeks. On Thursday night, very late, another French family arrived from somewhere in the Pas de Calais region, so I was speaking French a lot of the week. Oli was too when she coincided. 

In the afternoon Eladio watched Spain's first World Cup match against Cape Verde. Would you believe they drew? Honestly, it should have been a doddle. Here he is watching it in our bedroom on the big screen.

Eladio watching Spain's pathetic debut match in the World Cup against Cape Verde with whom they could only draw 1-1.

Spain is in Group H which also includes Saudi Arabia and Uruguay. Thankfully they also drew and right now all 4 countries have only 1 point each. I hope Spain plays a bit better when they meet Saudi Arabia today. England which is in group L did much better in their opening match beating their biggest rival in the group, Croatia 4-2. The other countries are Ghana and Panama and right now they both have 3 points .Ghana and Panama should be a walk in the park as should Spain have been against Cape Verde. As you can imagine I am routing for both Spain and England. 

Tuesday did not get off to a good start.  Eladio scratched the brand new car while reversing down the drive. He took too long and the automatic gate shut on him just as he had reached it. We were very upset until we realised the insurance will cover it. We have an appointment when we come back from Asturias.  We were on our way to the Inland Revenue people and were half an hour late. We went to get a new digital certificate for Eladio which is like an electronic ID to carry out bureaucratic stuff with the Spanish administration from your PC or mobile. I hate bureaucracy in Spain. We then went to pick up the Mini and came home in two cars, meaning I drove the Volkswagen which I love but takes some getting used to. We were only really given a cursory course on the basics and there is so much more. When Eladio drives, I spend my time figuring out the digital screen. 

On Wednesday we had more errands to do. They have seemed endless after having been away for so long. I accompanied Eladio for a routine ear doctor appointment and then we had a coffee on the Gran Via in Majadahonda. I went to pick up my mother's engagement ring which had a broken turquoise and a missing tiny diamond. I put it on as soon as they gave the mended ring to me. It means so much to me. My parents bought it second hand. I know  it's old fashioned too but I like that. When I wear it I am reminded of her wearing it on her beautiful tapered hands. Bless you Mummy. When I wear it I think of you. 

It was a delight to be reunited with Elliot and Juliet that evening when they came for dinner and we made a splendid one indeed. It was too hot to eat outside so dinner was in the dining room with air conditioning on full blast. This week's feature photo is of my two grandchildren who came that day dressed in the M&S clothes I bought them in Yorkshire. Here is another of the two of them smiling for my friends Andy and Amanda with an ice cream in each hand:-) 

Juliet and Elliot who came on Wednesday for dinner

We had fun and it was a good evening together which ended with a swim in the pool and a shower in our bathroom. I told Elliot about our trip to Marrakech and he was delighted as it means he will be going on an airplane again. It will ne his and Juliet's third time after their trip to Paris recently and a flight to Mallorca this summer. Lucky children. Do you remember your first flight ever? I do. It was to Munich to stay with my Aunty Masha in the summer of 1966. I was 9 at the time and remember too that England won the World Cup in Germany while we were there. Could they do it again this year? 

On Thursday Oli was off to Lyon, the third largest city in France, with some of her colleagues from her French classes. She should be back today and no doubt will have enjoyed a break both from work and from motherhood.  I must share a photo here to remember her trip.

Oli in Lyon with her French class this weekend

We won't see her now until we are back from Asturias but trust she had a good time. Apparently it was very hot there too. 

In France that day, and no less than in Versailles, Trump signed the much awaited Memorandum of Understanding without the Iranians present. It was during the G7. I'm not sure he knew the bad outcomes of Versailles Treaties but no doubt Macron did. I do not believe in this peace plan as Israel is still bombing the Lebanon and the Strait of Hormuz is not really open. I do not believe in it because there is no agreement on disarming Iran of nuclear power which is the main obstacle. Honestly, if the USA and Israel had not entered this stupid war there would be no need for any MOU. In fact from the little I have read, Iran, according to the plan, will be better off than before the invasion. Trump is an idiot. He was an idiot when he claimed that Georgia Meloni, the Italian President, had begged him for a photo together and he has now sparked an international conflict. He had told an Italian TV channel that Meloni wanted a picture with him so badly, he felt sorry for her and added "she is probably happy I spoke to her. I didn't have to talk to her". He made it even worse when he accused Meloni of having declining popularity and trying to use him to get her numbers up.  In my opinion he was just getting back at her for not supporting the US against Iran. Meloni answered tacitly saying the story was untrue and that "neither I nor Italy ever beg". The man has to go and soon. 

Our day was quiet in comparison. We accompanied Suzy for her monthly routine hospital appointment after which we had a coffee together at Alverán. I came home to have a quick catch up with Amanda on Facetime. Our sleep was badly interrupted that night as we had to wake up to receive new guests, the family from Pas de Calais. They are lovely but getting up in the middle of the night is not the fun part of being hosts. Thankfully it doesn't happen often.

We have followed the news as usual since we got back from England. That day, Spain's former socilaist PM, José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero was in the dock answering questions from the judge. He has been  charged with no less than 6 financial and corruption related crimes, mostly related to his getting kick backs while being a peace envoy in Venezuela. In reality he made money out of that role. He also has had to answer questions as to where he got a stash of jewelry worth over a million euros found in a safe box in his office. When asked he basically didn't reply and said he was not guilty of anything. He is and he knows it and I really hope he gets his comeuppance. Meanwhile, the current socialist PM, Pedro Sánchez continues to believe in his innocence. This is just one of the soap operas going on related to corruption cases within the governing socialist party. This week too Sanchez' wife, Begoña Gómez, was in the dock too answering questions from a judge related to four financial and corruption crimes. He, and I mean, Pedro Sánchez, has to go too but he is hanging on by the skin of his teeth and has refused to call elections this year. For different reasons, in the UK, PM Kier Starmer is also holding on to his job by the skin of his teeth. From what I have read he may well be replaced by the Mayor of Manchester, Andy Burnham. I thought he would do a job but apparently not. 

Friday was my red letter day. It was my Mounjaro injection day and time to go on the scales, the first since I left for Yorkshire.  I was worried I had either put on weight or was stuck at the same weight. But, no, I was in for a pleasant surprise. I had lost 1.6kg (3.5lbs). Thus I have lost a whole 3.1 kg (just over 7lbs) and now weigh a reasonable 63.1 kg (just under 10 stone). I aim to be back at 60 kilos and have 6 more weeks of Mounjaro to do so. I might even lose more but I'm not sure I want to as the bloody weight doesn't go off the thighs or bum but off my scrawny neck and face. I am sagging a bit and I hate wearing short sleeved clothes because of my ugly arms but it's so hot I have to. One thing for sure, after Mounjaro, I shall never ever go on a conventional sacrificial diet again. If there is a pill to take to repress your appetite, that's the way to go. Although I am no friend of the scales, they made me happy on Friday. Whoopee. 

We went out for coffee and did more shopping so as to have enough to take to Asturias and to leave behind for Suzy and Tana. Tana was off that day and will be back this morning. Thus I made the lunch and I prepared a spaghetti dish with prawns and spinach which we loved. 

On Friday too we received a 60th birthday invitation from dear Irene. She is the daughter of my Spanish family, the family I lived with for a year when I was a student. When I went to live with them, I was 21 and Irene was just 12. It is so lovely that our friendship has continued for so long. I am looking forward to the party, I really am. 

Saturday was quiet too. I was waiting for a Colombian couple to arrive early but they arrived when I was in the shower so Eladio received them. This weekend, like most, we are fully booked. Santa Pola is too but not El Cuetu which I booked for ourselves. We only went out once yesterday and it was for a coffee but when Eladio took the wrong turn, we ended up going to Leroy Merlin (French DIY store) to get a new dustbin so that we have enough to separate our rubbish for the new bins which we have to take  by car and is such a bore. I had a coffee and a tiny cake at Starbucks after which we chose the bloody bin. Now we have 3 inside and 1 outside. I often wonder if all the efforts of separating rubbish at home are worth it as I often suspect that those in charge, here, at least, don't do a proper job of recycling. 

We had lunch on our own as Suzy was in Madrid having lunch with a friend. There is nothing much more to report about yesterday. Today, my friends, as I said at the beginning is Sunday 21st June and the summer solstice. We shall be leaving shortly for the cooler area of Asturias which will be what my father used to call a busman's holiday. We have to work and get things ready for the summer season but we shall also enjoy being back at our house which as you know is now on sale. I love it there in the good weather and we are going to good weather.

You will hear all about our stay in El Cuetu in next week's post. Let me sign off now and wish you all a good Sunday and week ahead. 

Cheers Masha