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| Writing my blog this afternoon |
Sunday 23rd January 2016
Hello again. It’s actually Saturday, not the day for
writing my blog but I’m having a break from binge (re)watching Downton Abby
this afternoon. Also Oli and Miguel are
away and I want to be here for them tomorrow.
I don’t really have a good photo to illustrate this week’s post so
decided on one of me, writing my blog.
Yes, this is the moment, courtesy of Eladio.
It has been a quiet, unexciting but busy week. Monday was Blue Monday, perhaps not the best
start to a week. It is supposed to be
the most depressing day of the year, apparently when the weather is at its
worst, debts are high and we are still under the influence of post-Christmas malaise.
It wasn’t going to affect me or so I thought. What was incredibly depressing that morning
was reading the findings of Oxfam’s 2015 report on the gap between the rich and
the poor. The statistics make
frightening reading. The richest 62
people in the world are worth the same as the poorest 3.5 billion. That
translates into the richest 1% own as much as the rest of the world
combined. In Spain 1% own 80% of the
wealth! That is so unfair. Even worse,
the forecast for 2016 could not be bleaker when the top 1% will be richer than
the rest of the world combined.
It seems the rich come mostly from the financial,
pharmaceutical and health care sectors.
Basically the wealthy get wealthier and the poor get poorer. The Oxfam report was entitled “Having it all
and wanting more”. It couldn’t have been
better put.
In any case I felt lucky on Blue Monday. You see it
was a year ago that day that I broke my leg in Montrondo when I slipped on ice
and now I am well and fighting fit. There is nothing like an illness or
accident to appreciate good health. It
was actually Facebook that reminded me via this photo of me with my
sister-in-law, Pili at the hospital in León. I was smiling then but not later when
I knew I had to be operated and would be bedridden for at least 2 months. I’m
so glad that’s behind me. It seems not
much more than a hiccup now but it was quite big at the time mostly because I
am hyperactive and being home bound and bedridden was a real drama for me.
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| It was a year ago this week that I broke my leg in Montrondo |
I was busy too on Monday and up early to go to a
management team meeting. I hardly had
time to be hungry so didn’t really notice I was fasting, as I would again on
Thursday. I have been very good with my
New Year’s resolution so far, to fast twice a week and go for an hour long
power walk twice a day. I am determined
to keep it up.
Tuesday was the 19th January, a date
forever ingrained in my mind as it would have been my cousin Jacqueline’s
birthday. She died tragically aged only 12
on the 23rd May 1971 along with all her family in a terrible air crash in Rijeka (Croatia). We can never
forget the loss of my Father’s sister Gloria and her family, husband Derek and
children Jacqueline (12), Michael (9) and little Anthony (7).
But I had to put those thoughts out of my mind to
concentrate on a very long conference call with Sweden on quite a boring
matter; well more like long winded and complicated. You’d think the Swedes were more practical
and simple. Usually they are but not always and certainly not on Tuesday.
Tuesday was a bitter sweet day for Eladio. After 20
years he was to give his last University lecture with the UNED that evening. He has been obliged to retire against his
wishes but he can’t complain as he was allowed to work for 1.5 years after the
official date of retirement. He has
mixed feelings about stopping work completely.
Both Oli and I tell him he should enjoy his time. After all he has worked all his life to earn
his retirement and he is fit and well and should make the most of it. I hope he will.
We had this conversation on our morning walk. It was
sunny as it has been most days of the week except for fog in the mornings. Elsa our golden labrador is shedding at the
moment so we take along a special comb and create our own outdoor pet parlour
as you can see in the photo haha.
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| Our outdoor pet parlour |
On Wednesday morning I was interested to read a piece
of news from the Spanish Institute Cervantes.
Spanish is now the second most spoken language in the world after English
and ahead of Mandarin. Spanish comes
third on internet but second on Facebook and Twitter. Wow.
It’s nice to know I speak the two most spoken languages. I cannot find
one single article in English to corroborate the prestigious Spanish
institute. I wonder what the reason for
that is.
That morning I was to have a coffee and a chat with
Consuelo, a highly experienced bilingual (yes in Spanish and English, so part
of the Institute’s statistics) journalist who is out of work. I met her recently when we did a PR agency
pitch and it was great to see her again as she had made a good impression on
me. I have been where she is now so
could sympathise and give lots of good advice as well as moral support. We met at a café at the Zielo shopping centre
in Pozuelo. Whilst there I went to buy some fresh fish for lunch which was
incredibly expensive so when Eladio said how delicious it was I decided not to
tell him what it cost haha.
On Thursday I went into the office yet again, this
time for a meeting with the agency that takes care of our Wikipedia page. They do talk such jargon but I must say they
do a good job. Just as I got home I was
called back to the office for a management team meeting and then a staff
meeting, so it seemed like I was in my car all day as it’s 50km there and back
each time. I was back too late for my
second walk but the trip was worth it as both meetings brought good news for us
all. I can’t believe I’m into my 10th
year with Yoigo. It’s the longest period
I have ever worked with any company but long may it last as it is by far the best
company I have ever worked for.
On Friday I was up super early at 6.22. I went on my early morning walk at 7.30 when
it was still dark. Just as I was
returning I got a message to cancel my morning meeting and postpone it until
Monday. The message couldn’t have come
at a better moment. I needed some quiet time
to get up to pace with all my emails, etc.
It was on Friday evening that Spain’s acting Prime
Minister Mariano Rajoy of the PP (right wing) party announced after meeting the
King that he would not be accepting Don Felipe’s proposal for him to be the
first candidate to try and form a government.
It was like he said No to the King. Well he did. He shocked Spanish politics yesterday. In a press conference later he explained he
did not have the support to win a confidence vote in parliament. The problem we are facing is mathematical and
a pull between the right and left wing old and new parties. A coalition has to be formed and we have yet
to see who will be the next President.
If there is no consensus, elections will have to be held again.
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| Rajoy said no to the King |
Just as Rajoy was making this unexpected announcement,
Eladio and I went out to dinner to Ginos nearby. We kept looking at our phones, over our pizza
and scaloppini, to see what was being said about Rajoy’s latest move which came
a few hours after the leader of the anti-establishment party Podemos, Pablo
Iglesias, had suggested a coalition with the socialist party PSOE with him as
Vice President neither of whom want to form a coalition with the PP. These days
in Spain this is all people are talking about.
Meanwhile Oli and Miguel went to Chinchón for the
night. Oli had recently done a TV report
on this beautiful little town some 40km from the centre of Madrid which you can
see here. She loved it so much she
wanted to go back. We have only been
once. It was with my Father in 2007 and
we loved it too. For memory’s sake I
have dug out this photo of me in the middle of the legendary town centre square
which also doubles as a bull ring.
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| Me in Chinchón in 2007. Oli and Miguel's trip there has inspired me to go back and visit it again |
Oli and Miguel were lucky with the weather and had a
really relaxing time. They very much
recommend the restaurant called La Casa del Pregonero which is number 1 on Trip
Advisor. Oli sent me some photos of the
food and it looked great. On offer too
are prize winning tapas. We must go
again soon and if we do we will certainly go to La Casa del Pregonero.
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| Oli and Miguel today in Chinchón. |
I asked Oli to look out in the shops for plates like
one I had bought there and which I cherish. I couldn’t believe my luck when she
found 2 round plates which are just like the rectangular serving plate I
have. I think one of them will be going
to Montrondo. Thanks Oli, love them.
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| The plates from Chinchón |
Today has been a long and quiet day. I woke up just before 7 and once again went
on an early morning walk. I was well
wrapped up and it was foggy.
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| On my walk early this morning |
I would never have known that later in the day the
temperature would soar to 18c. If you don’t
believe me this is proof.
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| The temperature in Madrid this afternoon. It was more like spring than winter |
The dogs got their baths this morning, something they
used to hate but now seem to enjoy.
Pippa looked as though she wanted to get in the bath with both Elsa and
Norah as you can see in the photo collage below.
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| The dogs got a bath today! |
My second walk was in the sun and both Eladio and I
had to remove our coats. I would have
taken my jumper off too but couldn’t carry any more. We came home to a meal
made by me which my Father later said was delicious. It was only steak with vegetables but they
were his favourites: Brussel sprouts and cauliflower.
And now Oli and Miguel are back with lots to tell about
their trip to Chinchón, a town where Goya once lived. We shall have a quiet dinner in the kitchen
followed by a few episodes of Homeland.
I am watching it again. Eladio has never seen it but was hooked pretty
quickly. I will not give him any
spoilers even though I am very tempted to tell him what happens to Brody and
Carrie. No I mustn’t.
Tomorrow Sunday will be a quiet day and next week who
knows? On the work front it will be busy because on the 29th Jan our
mother company TeliaSonera will be announcing the Q4 results and year end 2015
which of course include Yoigo’s. We will
be holding a press conference, always a tense event to organize. I’ll be telling you how it went next week.
Meanwhile cross your fingers.
Cheers now till next week,
Masha
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