My Chinese Airbnb guests, to Santa Pola for the week, a new look at our apartment, the four of us together at the weekend and other stories.

Sunday 1st October 2017

The 4 of us together this weekend in Santa Pola. Here at the lighthouse cliffs with Pippa

Hi again everyone,

This week I am writing from our apartment in Gran Alacant near Santa Pola and about 10km from Alicante. We are enjoying a few days here with Suzy and her friend Juli who is like a surrogate son to me and brother to the girls (haha) and on Friday Olivia joined us for the weekend.

But let me start from the beginning. Last Sunday was a quiet day with the girls. After publishing my blog, I joined them on the swimming pool terrace and we played the new Spanish card game they had taught me ("culo") which I finally got the hang of. We would play more at our apartment in Gran Alacant later in the week. 

We had dinner on our own that night as the girls went off to Majadahonda to meet more members of their group of friends, aka as "la manada". I had cooked so much that weekend and needed to relax and wind down that night. 

That night we watched, like many other people in Spain, an interview by a popular and famous Catalan journalist, Jordi Evoli, with the head of the Catalan Government, Puigdemont, the man leading the whole movement for independence, commonly known here as "el proces".  The journalist, well known for his tactics of asking uncomfortable questions, made meat of the man and had him cornered with every question. Spectators of this programme are used to Evole making his right wing interviewees uncomfortable but not the left wing ones. It was revealing to hear that Puigdemont admitted the law passed in the Catalan court to hold the referendum was illegal as it was passed by less than 40%. I'm still wondering what will happen on Sunday when it is supposed to take place. 

On a lighter note that night, I was rather cross with Google when I saw an ad on my blog urging me to click on a link about "senior dating". How does Google know I am senior? What it doesn't know, or else the ad wouldn't have been there, is that I am happily married and in no need of any sort of dating service. They got it wrong a few days later too when another ad appeared, this time for "nocilla" (hazelnut chocolate spread) hahaha. 

On Monday morning, our Chinese guests were leaving. They really were good guests and the best of the 3 groups of Chinese we have hosted since I started Airbnb in March this year. From Shanghai, they were touring Spain in a big hired VW van. Lin, the girl who made the booking, had come with her boyfriend, a girlfriend and her Aunt and Uncle. She was the only one who spoke English. We chatted as they made rice and fried eggs for breakfast that morning. She told me her Aunt and Uncle wanted a photo with Eladio and I before they went. We were happy to oblige. The Uncle never stopped taking photos of the house, the garden and our dogs and Lin told me that it was her "dream house". They had visited Madrid the day before and even went to a bull fight. My information pack came in handy as they followed some of my recommendations, such as a meal at Botín, Spain's oldest restaurant near the Plaza Mayor.

Soon they were leaving and asked for the photo. They pulled out the chairs so that the older people could sit down at the front of the picture (haha) and Olivia, our family photographer when Miguel isn't there, took the main photo. Suzy took some too and it is one of hers that is below. You will notice that Elsa, our lab, managed to get in the photo too haha.

With our Chinese guests on Monday morning just before they left. 

They were so friendly and I really liked the Aunt. It was a pity we couldn't talk. The only Chinese word I know is "nihau". Eladio learned it too and came down that morning saying "nikau" which made everyone laughed. That day, upon our recommendation, they would be off to visit Segovia. They would be having lunch at Casa Cándido, the best place in town. Later Lin wrote me a super review although most of it was in Chinese. I used Google Translate to understand it but the words made me laugh when I read that the "furniture was hard as were the dogs". Google has to get better at translating hahaha. 

Our next guests wouldn't be arriving until Thursday so there was plenty of time to clean the rooms and change the sheets in time for Guilia and Camila's arrival. It's funny but they were our very first guests. I remember them clearly. They got lost coming here and I went to pick them up. It's so nice that they wanted to come back and a pity I won't be there to see them. 

I got another Airbnb reservation that day, from a widower and his two small children who wanted to visit the Warner Bros. theme park. He sent me a very poignant message about how much the trip meant to him and his children since he lost his wife in August after battling with cancer. I felt so sorry for him and promised to look after them as best I could. 

It was on Monday that I expanded my little house sharing business by placing an ad on another platform which is apparently very popular in the north of Europe. It is called Home Away. Lets see if I reap the benefits soon. 

That morning I went for a long walk with Suzy and the dogs and we came back to do, guess what, yes, more bread hahaha. It has become a bit of a craze. Monday's bread was made with spelt flour which I love. And here are the results.

The spelt and walnut bread I made on Monday

My friend Fátima was supposed to join us for lunch that day but didn't arrive until 3pm. She is always always late but I know that, so now always factor that in when I am expecting her.  She wanted to learn how to make bread but as she has a gluten intolerance she brought her gluten free flour made with rice and corn. It didn't turn out very well and looked like a big white brick and hadn't risen very much. I had agreed to take it to her house when it was out of the oven but when I saw it, I rang to say it was probably better to throw it away. However, Suzy wanted to try it for dinner that night and in actual fact it wasn't that bad. Apparently, according to what I read on the internet, the process for making gluten free bread is very different to making normal bread. I should have read that before I made it but now I know. 

I went shopping again that afternoon, to take provisions to Santa Pola and make sure there was enough food in the house for my Father, Lucy and the dogs. Suzy, meanwhile, was by the pool with her friends, Juli, Chati and Elena. Chati stayed for dinner where we were joined by Oli and we enjoyed another meal all together outside on the kitchen terrace. The September weather has been great so far. 

Tuesday came and I was up at 5.45. I had lots to do before we would leave for Santa Pola at 09.30. Juli and Suzy would leave at midday.  I wanted to arrive before them so as to have everything ready for when they got there. We took with us the new three piece sofa covers I had bought to replace the awful ones we inherited when we bought the apartment in 1999. I chose blue thanks to advice from my friends Sandra and Jacky who recommended it to go with the sea I suppose but also to enhance the blue from the plates and pictures on the walls. And this is the new look I am very pleased about. Neither Eladio nor Suzy said very much so I gather they are not impressed. For me it was high time we changed the covers. It makes the flat look much better.

The new look after I changed the three piece suite covers

After all the rigmarole of settling in, changing the sheets, cleaning the terrace floor, unpacking the food, etc, we sat down to a quick lunch I made of steak and salad. Just as we were sitting down on our terrace to read, Suzy and Juli arrived. 

Eladio on the terrace with Pippa here at our apartment.

They brought more food with them and so we would be well stocked for a few days.  After making a vegetable soup for dinner, Eladio, Pippa and  I - yes we brought Pippa with us - went off for a walk to the lighthouse by the cliffs with magnificent views of the small island of Tabarca.  And here I am posing for a photo by the cliffs with little Pippa in my arms. 

By the cliffs with little Pippa on our first walk on Tuesday to the lighthouse

It is a good 1.15h walk and we came home hungry for dinner. It would have been all healthy if it hadn't included the strawberry cheesecake ice cream Juli had brought hahahaa. 

Of course after dinner we had to watch the news to see how the "proces" was going - the move for independence in Catalonia - which I'm totally fed up with. Suzy and Juli later played scrabble on the phone and Eladio watched Real Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund in the latter's stadium. With 1 goal from Bale and 2 from Ronaldo it must have been exciting except that I was so tired I went to bed. 

On Wednesday, I was up at 06.30 and the first thing I did was to take Pippa outside to the garden for her morning call of nature. Living in a flat means she can't just wander into the garden by herself and I have to remember to take her down. Later with my cup of coffee, I read the news and was surprised and pleased to read that finally, yes finally, it had been announced by the heir to the throne in Saudi Arabia that from June 2018, women would be allowed to drive without a man's approval. It is the last country in the world to approve women driving and was about time too. I just hope that other restrictions on women there will be slowly lifted too. What a nightmare it must be to be a woman in Saudi Arabia. 

News that Twitter is experimenting with permitting a 280 character limit as apposed to the current 140 one caught my eye too. In one way I think it is a good thing as there is now more room to express oneself. On the other hand, as my friend Sandra pointed out, the whole idea about Twitter is to be short and to the point. In any case it is really an unimportant piece of news although it will be important for the American social media company. 

On Wednesday we went to the beach in the morning, armed with the sunshade and our old blue beach chairs. We have had them since our first summer here in 1999! And here is Eladio sitting under the shade reading his book, the autobiography of Felix Yusupov which he is finding equally riveting as my Father and I did.

Eladio on the beach on Wednesday

I was the only one to go in the water. It wasn't cold but the sea was a bit rough and I didn't want to brave the waves so I didn't spend much time in it.  Later we went on a walk to the end of the beach and back and it was very pleasant, mostly because there were so few people there compared to August; notably very few children. It was warm but cloudy and the temperature was in the low 20's most of the day. 

We came back to make lunch after which we had a siesta, read a bit on the terrace and then went for another walk with Pippa all the way to the lighthouse and back. On the way back I persuaded Eladio to go out and have fish and chips that night. He didn't take much persuading. Suzy who is vegan or tries to be vegan and Juli who doesn't really appreciate what fish and chips are, preferred to stay behind. We found Darby's Chippy quite busy but we were warmly welcomed by John, from Scotland and his wife. He really does make the best fish and chips  in the area and just as good as the best in the UK. Here, by the way, is Eladio's large portion. He removes most of the batter which horrifies me as it is precisely the batter I like most hahaha. Later when looking for  a link to the chip shop I wrote a review on Trip Advisor and of course gave them full marks. I hope John, who I think still reads my blog, sees that:-)

Eladio's portion of large fish and chips at Darby's Chippy on Wednesday night

I was happy to hear that their establishment was doing well. They have been here now for 11 years which is quite a record as there is a lot of business turnover in Gran Alacant. Being Scottish and both of us living outside the UK,  John and I lamented that Brexit was happening. Of course we did, neither of us was able to vote damn it. 


On Friday I was up at 6.15. I do wish I could sleep longer. Everyone else was up later at about 8.30. Suzy is like me in that she makes a cup of coffee as soon as she gets up. I joined her on the terrace and was rewarded with this lovely photo of my sleepy daughter who I think is looking absolutely lovely. She is so brown after her trip to Malaysia and Indonesia.

Sleepy but smiley Suzy with her cup of coffee on Thursday morning. 

It's such a treat to be with her here as we don't often have the quality time we are having with her here. The only downside to my stay here are the damned mosquitoes. I don't know why but there seems to be an abundance of them here now which is unusual for this time of year. They have bitten me all over and produce itchy attacks where I go mad scratching. There is no really good remedy for once you have been bitten. Ice seems to help as does a cold shower. Oh why do they bite me so much? Neither Eladio nor Suzy are affected although they have also bitten Juli but to a lesser extent. It must be my white and northern skin. The best remedy though, is to be busy so I got ready to go out to the market with Eladio where we would be joined later by Suzy and Juli. I needed something to take my mind off the itching:-(

The highlight of Thursday then was going to the Santa Pola market which is held here at Gran Alacant, a few yards away from our apartment. There are good fruit and vegetable stalls but the rest is a bit rubbishy although I did find some nice red trainers for a paltry 10 euros. I have yet to wear them.

But we were far more interested in the fruit and veg as we are a real fruit and veg family as you may well have noticed hahaha. And here we are, Suzy and I, picking our choice of tomatoes, lettuce, plums, grapes, water melon, peaches, pineapple and bananas.

Suzy and I choosing vegetables at the market yesterday

While there we also came across a stall selling roast ribs, jacket potatoes and chicken. We bought the former for lunch and made a superb salad from the provisions we bought that morning at the market. 

It wasn't really warm enough to go the beach in the afternoon so while Eladio slept his siesta and Suzy and Juli went to the swimming pool, I read on the terrace. I had another itching attack so suggested going for a walk to the lighthouse with Eladio and Pippa both for the exercise and to take my mind off the damned itching. 

We came home to make a superb or rather 2 superb small Spanish tortillas (made with eggs, potatoes and onions) and this is what the table looked like when we sat down to dinner.

Dinner at home on Thursday night - home made Spanish tortilla. 

I'm afraid I, at least, ate a bit too much and was soon feeling sleepy. That, though, could have been because of the wine we had for dinner, although mine was a tiny glass.

Friday came. We had run out of bread and milk so when the shops opened at 8.30 Eladio and I went to buy some and found a lovely new bakery. We bought freshly baked bread as well as delicious looking croissants and pain au chocolat and the equivalent here to danish pastry. For reference sake the name of the bakery is "dulce de leche". We then bought milk at the British supermarket Quicksave. Here I chatted to the owner who told me that many of the Brits in Gran Alacant were leaving and that few new ones were coming after Brexit. When I asked him why, he said it was because of the uncertainty of the future: pensions, health care and the low rate of the pound. What sad consequences Brexit is bringing us. During the Brexit referendum campaign no one ever thought of the Brits living abroad like me, or the fish and chip shop man John or the owner of Quicksave.  

We had a feast of a breakfast I must say. The croissants were at least as good as the very best in France which is unusual here. While here we had decided we would spend a day down memory lane, visiting Callosa de Ensarría where my parents bought a village house in the early 70's as well as Algar, a beautiful enclave in the mountains with natural waterfalls and restaurants, swimming pools etc. I used to call these our "Callosa Days". So we went on Friday morning. Juli and Suzy preferred to stay and go to the beach. It was probably the warmest and sunniest of the days we spent here.

Callosa is 55km inland from Alicante, so about 60km from here. But first we stopped at the chemist to buy mosquito repellent and a relief cream. The pharmacist confirmed there was a mosquito plague here and gave me a cream with cortisone and even anesthesia. It worked a bit but was not really effective. Swimming in the cold water at Algar would help though. 

We took Pippa with us having rung both the restaurant (Don Juan de Algar) and the natural waterfall park and both had confirmed they were dog friendly. Hallelujah I thought as it  isn't often dogs are allowed anywhere in Spain and I didn't want to leave her on her own all day in the apartment. 

The road from Benidorm (15km away) to Callosa hasn't changed that much and brings many memories. I love driving past the pretty little towns of La Nucia and Polop surrounded by orange and lemon groves and a fruit called níspero. 

The pretty little town of Polop on our way to Callosa. 

When I was a teenager and my parents bought the house in rural Callosa I always wished they had bought a place in Benidorm instead. Benidorm, even then, was horrific and gaudy and common but it was by the beach which Callosa wasn't. We used to have to take the bus which left at funny times during the day and took ages to get there or we would hitch hike, something you would not do today. However, my parents were looking for authentic and rural Spain where the tourists don't go and now I realise they made a much better choice. The funny thing though was that when my parents started learning Spanish, everyone in the village spoke Valenciano, the local dialect which is similar to Catalán. When they realised, they carried on with Castellano Spanish and learned it very well. 

Once in Callosa, we walked along the old familiar streets which hadn't really changed. Everything was ready for the village fiestas taking place next week, the Moors and Christians which I have actually never seen.

Eladio and Pippa walking along the main street of the old town of Callosa. 

One obligatory stop was at the ice cream parlour, La Jijonenca, where they make amazing home made ice cream but are not very friendly. It is now run by the nephew of the black dressed and bad tempered fat lady who use to serve us our favourite, either the turron ice cream or the delicious local drink called horchata. So happy to be there I tried to engage the new owner into conversation and tell him how we used to frequent La Jijonenca in the 70's but I could hardly draw a smile from him. It was full of valenciano (local dialect) speaking middle aged ladies and I realised that not much had changed. Thankfully the ice cream hadn't either and it tasted delicious.

From there we walked up the to main square where Eladio and I remembered watching the local beauty contest for "chiquets" and "chiquetas". We also remembered the café where Eladio started flirting with me for the first time. Wow that was so many years ago. From the square, knowing the way perfectly, we walked to Calle de las Flores where our old house was. It looked empty. This is the street.

Our old house in Calle de Las Flores, the second on the left. 

We bumped into a neighbour and I told her it used to be our house. We then mentioned the other neighbours who used to live there and I asked her about a girl called Rosa who was my friend, the daughter of Sra. María who used to lend us her telephone. I had lost touch with Rosa but remember her clearly. Amazingly the neighbour told me that Rosa now has an upholstery shop opposite the petrol station. So we made our way there, walked in and asked for her. Remember I hadn't seen her for probably 40 years and we had aged a lot. She came out and as soon as I said "it's Masha, do you remember me?" she did and we hugged and shed a tear or two. Wow, it was amazing to find her. She is now married of course and has twins in their late teens. She even got married the same year that I did.

We went to have a cup of coffee together and to chat and catch up on all the years since we had last met.  Eladio took a photo of us although neither of us was looking our best hahaha.

With Rosa my friend from my teenage years in Callosa, reunited on Friday.

I have a photo of Rosa when she was a teenager in one of my albums at home and must find it to send to her. Needless to say, we are now friends on Facebook. If there had been social media when we first met we would never have lost touch. 

We said our goodbyes promising to meet again in Callosa next time we come. We then walked back to our car and made our way to Algar which has changed a bit as it is much more commercial than before except for  the stunning scenery thankfully. It is only 1km from Callosa and my brother George and I used to walk there and spend the day at the waterfalls many years ago when we first came to Spain. In those days we didn't have much money and couldn't pay to use the two swimming pools. Thankfully today we can. So we parked at the Don Juan restaurant and pool where we always used to go and which we still visit occasionally when we come to our apartment in Santa Pola.

The pool at Don Juan 

Here we reserved a table and set up our little "camp" by the pool and left our valuables with the restaurant owner. It was 13.30 and we had an hour or so before lunch to visit the waterfalls. These days you have to pay to enter the waterfalls. When George and I used to swim there it was free. And these days too, they take a photo of you entering and charge 5 euros for the photo afterwards. I loved the photo they took but Eladio didn't like himself in it, so I can only show you half of the photo. Pippa is in it of course.

Entering Algar with Pippa

We  love Algar and always enjoy swimming in the natural pools even though the water is freezing.  However the rocks are slippery and the surface is very stony so it's not easy to get in or walk in the water. But this time we had brought along some plastic water shoes we were given in Aqaba on the Red Sea in Jordan where we went on holiday a few years ago.  They made a great difference. Pippa wasn't very happy about being tied to a rail while we did so but I'm sure she preferred that to the cold water. Here is Eladio in the water.

Eladio swimming in Algar

After swimming by the main waterfall we walked up the steep wooden steps (they are new too) into the mountains where there are more waterfalls and natural pools and we swam in one of them as you can see in the photo of me below.

Me being silly in one of the natural pools at Algar

The mountain air and the cold water made us hungry and we were soon back at the restaurant where we were given a table by the pool. As always, we ordered "arroz a banda" - a variation on paella - which is typical of Alicante, preceded by a plate of toasted local bread with alioli and fresh tomato sauce which I adore.

Toasted local bread with ali oli and fresh tomato sauces 

The arroz a banda at Don Juan de Algar on Friday

The lunch was sumptuous  and afterwards we lounged by the pool reading and snoozing and thoroughly enjoying being back at a place which means so much to us. You see Callosa and Algar saw the beginnings of our life together. It was there that we fell in love. That and my teenage years there with my parents always make for a wonderful trip down memory lane. 

 We left with a very happy feeling, satisfied with a wonderful day together. We were home by about 7pm and unfortunately both of us had started a cold, most probably because of the cold water. Thankfully, Juli, who also had a cold, had bought the famous Spanish remedy for this common ailment, "frenadol" and we both took it and would buy more the next day. Damned cold and mosquitoes we could well have done without.  

Oli was arriving that evening in Alicante and Suzy and Juli would pick her up. Her high speed train, the "Ave" was 1 hour late which meant she would be given her money back. If it is more than 10 minutes late I think you get a full refund. We wouldn't see her until the next day as they were meeting Merce, her husband Josema and toddler Jorge for dinner that night and would not be home until after midnight, well after our bedtime hahaha, which as you know is usually between 9 and 10 pm.  They first met Merce when we bought the apartment here in 1999, the year my Mother died. They were part of a group of friends who spent many happy summers here together. Merce is from Yecla about an hour away from here and they have kept in touch ever since. The girls even went to  Merce and Josema's wedding and they were to meet the couple's 2 year old baby, Jorge, for the first time on Friday night. It was a lovely reunion for them. 

I  asked them for a photo together and they sent me one. It was a great reunion for them, their own particular trip down memory lane.

The girls on Friday night with Juli, Merce, Josema and little Jorge

Yesterday, Saturday morning, I was up at 6.35 and made my coffee in total darkness. I also fed Pippa and took her outside for her morning nature call haha. I read the news mostly about the illegal Catalan referendum scheduled for today and also wrote more of this blog so as to be able to publish it early this morning and spend the time with the girls. The four of us haven't been together here at our apartment for many years so this weekend was very special.

Oli was up early too and then Suzy and the three of us went out with Pippa to buy croissants, pastries and bread for breakfast again. We had a huge breakfast feast as we will today as none of us can resist the produce to be bought at the "Dulce de Leche" bakery across the road. I feel a bit guilty but assure you that as soon as I get home I will be back to my daily "gruel" aka oat bran porridge hahaha.

Eladio had an earache that morning so instead of spending the time with the girls on the beach we had to go and see a doctor in Alicante at a private clinic. The city was full of traffic and roads were being blocked because of an ongoing triathlon race. We got caught at a roundabout just past the port and suddenly a huge airport bus was leaning in towards us and scratching the side of our car. There were police there and as Eladio got out of the car to stop the bus driver from leaving the traffic lights, all the cars on the roundabout started parping their horns. The bus had not seen us and had bumped into our car from the right while we were nearly on the kerb on the inside of the roundabout. However the bus driver said we had caused the accident which we hadn't. So we had no alternative but to call the traffic police who took ages to come. I think we spent nearly 1.5h there after the accident. The car wasn't damaged much but as the insurance is only for third parties, if we didn't make clear the accident was not caused by us we would have to pay for the damage done. Thankfully the police who came saw clearly from the type of scratch on the car and our explanations that it was the bus driver's fault. 

The bus that bumped into us in Alicante

Eladio and our damaged car in Alicante on Saturday morning. 

We finally got to the clinic at about 12.30 and after being given a prescription, we came home to let poor Pippa out of the house. But soon we were off again, this time to have lunch with the girls, Juli, Merce, Josema and little Jorge. We had chosen to go to Darby's Chippy again as they now open at lunchtimes at the weekend. We were not particularly hungry after our enormous breakfast but none of us could resist the temptation of authentic fish and chips for lunch. And here we are all round the table. Juli took the photo, thanks Juli.

Fish and chips all together at Darby's Chippy on Saturday

Eladio and I were a bit tired after lunch and we went back to rest and read in my case. The younger generation went to have a coffee. Later the 4 of us - what a luxury - went for a walk to the lighthouse cliffs with Pippa. The selfie illustrating this week's post is  of us by the cliffs. It was a lovely end to Saturday.

No one was hungry for dinner so we just had a salad and fruit after which Eladio watched more debates on the Catalan referendum issue. As I write that now, it is early in the morning on Sunday 1st October the day it is supposed to happen although the government will try its best to stop it. 

Meanwhile we played cards until I, at least, dropped to sleep having previously sprayed my room with insect repellent. 

Today will be our last day here. Oli's boyfriend, Miguel, will be coming from Valencia for lunch and he will return to Madrid with us where he will spend the week with Oli. We shall be going back after lunch and hope to make the best of the few hours the four of us have  here. 

I nearly forgot to add that today is the anniversary of the passing away of my dear Mother who left us on 1st October 1999. No doubt my Father will be thinking about her today. In reality we think about her very often but today is a day we shall sadly always remember.

It is now the end of this week's blog post which I hope you have enjoyed. All that remains is to wish you all a great week ahead until you hear from me again next Sunday.

Cheers for now.
Masha.

More bread making, an earthquake in Mexico, Suzy home from Bali, all together again, Eladio’s birthday and other stories of the week.

Sunday 24^th September, 2017

Eladio and his "women". Yesterday lunch just before we lit the candles on the cake I had made for his birthday.

Good morning everyone,

Here I am writing early this Sunday while everyone sleeps. The house is full with 12 people under its roof. Suzy is here and the family is complete. That's 5 of us, 6 with Oli's boyfriend, Miguel, 7 with Zena our weekend carer and 5 Chinese Airbnb guests hahaha. So how do we all fit I bet you are asking? Well we have many bedrooms and yesterday added another one for Suzy in the gallery just off our bedroom as her room is occupied by the Airbnb guests. 

So while everyone sleeps, let me reflect on the week.

Last Sunday, the latest bread making craze continued and that morning I showed Olivia how to make it. Under my guidance she did every step of the process and I'm sure she felt equally satisfied as it came out of the oven looking and smelling delicious. We had no spelt flour left so she made if from wholemeal flour and this is what her loaves looked like:

The bread Oli made last Sunday. 

She didn't have it for lunch though as she was joining her friends Juli and Elena for a meal in Majadahonda. And here are the three of them together last week.

Elena, Juli and Oli last Sunday

We ate if for dinner though and it was delicious. Last Sunday we were waiting for a phantom Italian Airbnb guest to arrive. She had booked for 2 nights but never ever replied to any of my follow up messages afterwards. I finally managed to ring her the next day and she told me she had been at our house at 5 and at 9pm but that was impossible as we were all at home. When I asked her what number of the street she came to, she said she couldn't remember. Her non appearance remains a mystery. 

Monday came and I was up, believe it or not as 8pm. That was because the electric alarm clock we have had since before we were married has been playing up lately. So when it was actually 6 in the morning the clock showed 4 am. Thus I had breakfast with Eladio and Olivia. We went for a warmish if windy walk. On the way I got another Airbnb reservation which meant that after the Mexicans left on Sunday and the no show of the Italian lady, I would have 6 upcoming sets of guests. Airbnb is  blessing for us in this new shared economy. I wonder how long it will last though.  

That night we watched a wonderful epic drama on Netflix called Palm trees in the snow (Palmeras en la nieve), set in Spanish colonial Equatorial Guinea. I had seen it before but was keen to watch it again. Eladio just loved it and it was nearly 1 in the morning when we switched off the lights. 

A beautiful Spanish film we watched twice in a row this week. 

Tuesday saw Suzy enjoying her last day in Bali. She would be starting her trip home the next day with her fellow traveller Chati which would take them about 33 hours and 4 flights. to get here. Here she is in the sun by a pool in the island which, after her return, was on the alert for a possible  eruption of a volcano and many tourists had to flee. 

Suzy enjoying the sun on her last day in Bali. 

We were not enjoying the sun that morning as we had to take Norah to the vet. She has  leishmaniasis which is a disease caused by a mosquito and is very common in the south of Europe. We had interrupted her medication and she wasn't looking well. But actually, her not looking well and not wanting to eat was not caused by the disease but by an overdose of chicken bones I had fed her at the weekend. We were told in very strict terms by Maria, her vet, never to give our dogs any bones ever. ¿What no bones for a dog? I understand chicken bones are not really suitable, but no bones, poor dogs. As for the disease, the results of the blood test were very reassuring as it seems well under control although she has to continue her medication. I came home feeling both guilty and relieved. Here is dear Norah, our oldest dog who will be 9 at the end of the year. We love her so much. Sorry Norah about the bones, but I promise you will get succulent tit bits every now and then. You will later that she did, but not from me hahaha. 

No more bones for poor Norah

Again I made bread on Tuesday. I baked it with the flour I had left at home, half plain and half wholemeal and it was delicious. 

More bread on Tuesday

To make bread I use my trusted Kenwood which my Mother gave to me when we got married or just before. So it's more than 30 years old but still going. It's thanks to the hook attachment that I can knead the dough so well. I'm not sure it would turn out so well if I kneaded it by hand. My Kenwood is still going strong but time is telling on it and I have been thinking maybe I should invest in a new one and take the old one to Montrondo. That would be a great idea for a Christmas present this year. 

So as I was making bread, thinking of Suzy in Bali and generally enjoying a quiet life, terror struck in Mexico, a country I have been to 3 times and where my brother spent a year when he took a degree in Latin American studies. Just a few hours after many people had taken part in an earthquake  drill, exactly 32 years after a quake killed thousands in Mexico City, a 7.1 magnitude tremor hit the country in  the Puebla area not far from DF.  Mexico is prone to earthquakes and just a few weeks ago had suffered another one in the south of the country which left at least 90 dead.  The epicentre was in Atencigo, about 120km from Mexico City. Entire buildings collapsed, including the Enrique Rebasamen school where many children died. So far over 320 people have died and rescue forces and thousands of civilians are still searching for more. It's amazing how united the country is and how everyone is lending a helping hand.

A scene after the earthquake in Mexico

On Tuesday too, the warmongering Donald Trump, yes the same man who wants to build a wall with Mexico, used belligerent words in his speech at the United Nations. His words were directed at North Korea when he said that if the US was threatened he would have no option other than to destroy the whole country. That is more than 20 million people!! As I write that I wonder how much help Mexico's neighbour is giving after the terrible earthquake. 

On Wednesday the main news on the international front was of the aftermath of the Mexican earthquake. It was also about the other big natural disaster caused by Hurricane Maria, the third hurricane since Irma. Maria battered many Caribbean islands and left the whole of Puerto Rico, 3.5 million people, without electricity. 

Thankfully Suzy was on the other side of the world, travelling back from Bali. She flew to Kuala Lumpur then to Abu Dhabi and then on to Rome and wouldn't reach us until Thursday night. What a long journey. 

The main news in Spain of course was about Catalonia and the bid by the rather radical "independentistas" to hold an illegal referendum on 1st October. I wrote about that last week too but since then, things have come to a head and the atmosphere is very tense with Barcelona and Madrid governments at loggerheads. I read the international press and it's obvious that outside Spain the questions at stake are not really understood and the Catalans hoping for independence are often seen as victims being oppressed by the Spanish government. It may look like that but it isn't, in my mind at least. This week I found a great article in English that sums up the situation and which, if you want to know a bit more, you might find enlightening to read. I'm not sure who the author is. I saw it on social media, which is not the Bible and full of false news, but what is written below is quite accurate in my mind. 

-Spain is a western democracy and its Catalan citizens vote frequently. In fact, between European, national, regional and municipal elections we have voted 6 times in the last five years. 


-In the last regional election, pro-secession parties decided to unite around a single issue- independence- and not only failed to win a majority of the vote, but also lost votes relative to the prior election. Polls, even those paid for by separatists, show support for independence is a minority and in decline. 
-Catalonia is not "oppressed". It is one of the most prosperous regions in Spain and its citizens enjoy a high standard of living and one the highest degrees of self-rule of any region in Europe. 
-The party that traditionally ran the regional government of Catalonia has, for the last 30 years, used public money to promote a separatist agenda through education and local media and has illegally funded itself with a corrupt scheme where contractors had to pay bribes of at least 3% of any public work. 
-The region of Catalonia has never existed as an independent political entity and was a part of the Kingdom of Aragon, which merged dynastically with the Kingdom of Castille in 1492 to create the Spain we know today. There is no "union", as in the UK- Catalonia is to Spain what Rousillon is to France or Cornwall to England. 
-Spain is a parliamentary democracy, with a constitution that can be amended. A vote on territorial secession would require such amendment and the support of a qualified majority of Spaniards.
-Not a single country or international organisation, with the exception of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, has supported this movement.


So why the fuss? As the economy improves and support for independence wanes, the separatists are afraid of "missing the train" and, breaking Spanish and regional laws, have embarked on a campaign to present the central government as "evil", for not allowing a regional referendum which does not comply with the constitution (overwhelmingly approved throughout Spain, including Catalonia). This noise also conveniently masks regional corruption scandals and sets up the separatists as victims for the next regional election.

Frankly, as a citizen of the world I personally do not understand any radical desire for independence. I prefer unity and, like Rafa Nadal, cannot see Spain without Catalonia nor Catalonia without Spain.  Unlike Eladio, though, I am not losing any sleep over the question. 

On the topic of sleep, that afternoon I had an appointment with a pulmonologist to explain the results of the sleep test I did this summer which I had been sent to do after I explained seemingly similar symptoms to "apnea". I had read the report and was sure I had apnea (pauses in breathing during sleep) but apparently I only registered it 4 times an hour which is something all of us experience. The conclusion of the result is that I snore, as if I didn't already know that hahha. I was not impressed with the doctor who spent the whole time writing on a computer, hardly looking at me and mostly ignoring me. What I also found out though, is that my sleep is very superficial, something I could have told her anyway as I tend to wake up many times during the night. For that she has referred me to a neurologist. Well, I have made the appointment in October so let's see what that reveals.  

Thursday came and I went to the dentist for an emergency appointment as one of my teeth was feeling very sensitive and giving me the odd bit of pain. An X-ray showed I need root canal treatment and two crowns. So I shall be seeing my trusted dentist, Dr. Garralda, who we have been going to since the girls had their first dental appointment, quite a lot in the coming months. I could do without that expense and ouch it hurts that I no longer have the free dental care I used to enjoy before I lost my job. 

The weather has been very pleasant this week and Eladio and I have spent every afternoon reading by the pool. My book this week is the autobiography by Felix Yusupov, my Mother's distant cousin who famously killed Rasputin. Lost Splendour and the death of Rasputin is a 

a marvelous book: what tales of the riches before the Russian Revolution, what an incredible life. Oh how I am enjoying every page. It is not particularly well written but what are amazing are all the events he describes of pre-revolutionary Russia. Prince Felix Yusupov was the richest man in Russia, even richer than the Tsar. I still marvel when I remember my Mother telling me how her family would visit the Yusupovs, at  the Moika palace  in St. Petersburg which was their main home in Russia.  I think I wrote about that recently here, so sorry if I am repeating myself. Eladio is waiting to read it and Oli too but they will have to wait. It's the book I bought for my Father recently and which he urged me to read. 

I was still reading it when Eladio left at 9pm that night to pick up Suzy and her friend Chati from the airport. I was still awake when she came and we melted into a hug as soon as she got out of the car. The dogs surrounded her too as it was such a joy to have her back. 

Friday 22nd September was the start of autumn but it didn't feel like it as the maximum temperature that day was about 26 or 27ºc. I was up early and soon joined by slightly jet-lagged Suzy.  We had breakfast together after which, at 7 in the morning I began a long spree of cooking for the family weekend and Eladio's birthday the next day. I was going to make a raspberry sponge cake with two layers. One of the sponges would have fresh raspberries inside and would be topped with crushed raspberry sauce and whipped cream. The top layer would be covered with icing and fresh raspberries as you can see in the photo.

Eladio's birthday cake in the making. 

The last time I had made this cake was in France at my cousin Zuka's house where, unfortunately, the sponge cracked, the icing melted and the raspberries all slid off. This time everything went perfectly and it tasted delicious.

After Eladio had his breakfast, the 3 of us set off on our morning walk with our 3 dogs of course. Suzy joined me for the last hour. Once home, Suzy wanted to learn how to make bread, so I showed her. She made spelt bread with walnuts but with just water, no yoghurt or honey I'm afraid. But I must say it was still delicious.

Suzy learned to make bread with me on Friday morning. 

Her friend Juli came for lunch. He was late and we left his food on the table while my Father was finishing his lunch. I made the big mistake of leaving my chair away from the table and suddenly we heard a noise. We dashed into the dining room to find Norah had used my chair to jump on the table and had polished off 2 of the 3 filet steaks on the table that were for Juli. I'm sure she had a great feast. At least they weren't bones hahaha. 

Another Airbnb guest checked in that afternoon, a young physiotherapy student from Badajoz who had come to do a weekend course at the local university. She adored her room but of course she would as it was Suzy's.  My poor elder daughter had to sleep in one of the spare rooms and when the Chinese guests came, in our gallery as I recounted at the beginning of this post. I felt sorry for Suzy but of course, business is business hahaha. 

Just as Nuria was settling in, Suzy and Juli went off to the local station to pick Oli up from work. Oli had great news that day. Her next destination with the TV programme she works for on Telemadrid ("Madrileños por el mundo") is to be St. Petersburg in Russia. She finds that very exciting and so do my Father and I. Since she was told the destination, she is avid for information about Russia, St. Petersburg and the Russian language and my Father and I are delighted to help her. Thus I shall be lending her the book by her ancestor Felix Yusupov which I hope she enjoys as much as we did. 

Finally the family was reunited. We were to have a lovely family dinner on the terrace outside the kitchen and were joined by Oli's boyfriend Miguel who arrived just as dinner was ready.  At Suzy's request I made my tuna fish salad with which we ate Suzy's delicious bread. 

My tuna fish salad for the family dinner on Friday night. 

It was wonderful to be together again. We would have more family quality time at the weekend too. Yesterday, Saturday 23rd September, was Eladio's birthday. I seem to have spent the whole of the family time cooking but I didnt' cook that morning. Suzy and I went out to buy ingredients for a deliciously calorific breakfast food; "porras" and "churros" with the typical thick chocolate drink as well as croissants and pastries. I took a photo of the boy with the porras as he took them out of the boiling hot oil. Look here:

Porras (thick churros) in the making

I had lovingly laid the dining room table using a bone china tea set which had been a wedding present to my parents. As we got home my Father was sitting at the table and eagerly looking forward to breakfast all together.

My Father ready for breakfast on Eladio's birthday on Saturday

The best thing about birthdays in this house is that I get to eat what I like for breakfast and I get to eat cake too. It's such a delightful change after oat bran porridge every day hahaha. 

Before we tucked in, I asked Miguel, who is our semi official photographer, to immortalise the moment. And he obliged as you can see in the photo below:

The 5 of us before we attacked the delicious birthday breakfast yesterday morning. 

Eladio, who turned 73 yesterday, was given his presents and a family card which we all write on lovingly, after we had finished off most of what was on the table. He got pyjamas from Oli, a bookmark from Bali from Suzy and a badly needed new bedroom digital clock from my Father and I. 

It was after breakfast that Eladio and Miguel set up Suzy's new bedroom in our gallery,  a sort of glass wing next to our bedroom which  we never use. We had bought an Ikea fouton a while ago which would be used for the first time yesterday. Pippa was the first to jump on it hahaha. 

Pippa trying out Suzy's new temporary bed. 

Then it was time for a walk and we all went. In fact I got that moment immortalised too, this time by a selfie of the 5 of us. It was a glorious sunny morning and I was feeling so happy.

The family walk after breakfast on Eladio's birthday yesterday

I did one hour more than the others, determined not to put on any weight because of breakfast and the cake to come. 

I was pretty exhausted when I got home and had to make everyone's lunch; the birthday lunch. For the occasion I made baked salmon in "papillote" which is actually baking it in the oven in plain silver foil. This was to be served with pumpkin and potato puré. I nearly forgot to add that the first course was home made gazpacho which I had made the day before. You see, it has been a real cooking spree this weekend.

Finally the cake moment came, the lighting of the candles (in our case the candles are like fireworks hahahah), the singing of happy birthday, the making of a wish and the cutting of the cake. Miguel took the lovely photo of what Eladio  called "me and my women". It's the best photo of this weekend and the one I have chosen to illustrate this  post. No doubt it will also be used for the Christmas calendar I always make in December. 

Of course, after so much walking, cooking and eating, I, at least, was in need of a siesta. It was cut short by the arrival of my 5 Airbnb Chinese guests who arrived just after 4pm. They were already being shown round their rooms when I woke up. Suzy was caught out too as she was using her bathroom and came out telling them she had just been cleaning it for them hahaha. As if she ever does that!!  Only one of them spoke English but they all seemed pleased with the house and their rooms as  Lin, the girl who made the booking, told me. They were taking photos and videos as I showed them round the house so I hope that is true. 

While they settled in, we spent time by the pool when the girls and Juli introduced me to a new (Spanish) card game called "culo" (bottoms). We played for quite a while before getting ready to go out to dinner to celebrate Eladio's birthday for one more time. I should mention Suzy won nearly every game. 

I had booked a table at the Boadilla Palace garden summer restaurant, "La Terraza de Boadilla", where we had been with Oli and Miguel in August and which we had loved so much. The setting is to die for and Suzy loved it. Before finding our table, we took photos and here is one of the 4 of us, courtesy of Miguel. You see it's not often the 4 of us are together and it's great to get photos of us when we are.

The 4 of us at the Terraza de Boadilla where we went for dinner last night. 

However, the service this time was very slow with only 2 or maybe 3 waiters for a full restaurant and soon it got cold. Of course it is the end of September and though the temperatures are in their high 20's during the day, it gets cold at night. So we ended up freezing and hungry. It was too cold to order a dessert and we asked for the bill, paid it and left as soon as we could. The whole dinner was rather a waste of money and I do wish I had booked somewhere else. It didn't help that Oli and Eladio came to loggerheads about the Catalonian issue too. It is dividing Catalonia and dividing the nation but I won't have it dividing our family so have forbidden the topic at meals hahaha. It won't be haha next Sunday, though, the 1st October when the illegal referendum is supposed to be held. It remains to be seen what happens in the end. What I am dreading is the 2nd October if the majority vote for independence and it looks like that could happen as I think only those who want independence will vote. We will see what happens then and meanwhile I hope the tension does not increase. 

And today is Sunday, another day all together. After the Chinese had had their breakfast of noodles and fried eggs and left to visit the centre of Madrid, we gathered in the kitchen for our own breakfast. Suzy made more bread, hahaha, this time half spelt and half oat bran. It turned out fine, a bit coarse but healthy and quite tasty. 

Suzy and I went for a walk with the dogs. Oli wasn't feeling well. I think she has caught a cold and Eladio was giving his weekly philosophy lesson to his Brazilian pupil, Luciano. 

I came back to make lunch - yes more cooking - and while doing so, taught Oli more phrases in Russian. My Father taught her more and she wrote them down diligently. I do wish I knew more. I have even forgotten most of the alphabet, something Oli wants to learn before she goes to the city also known as The window to the west, from Peter the Great's reign. 

Lunch was another family meal together. Tomorrow Oli will go back to work and will be living at her flat and Suzy and Juli will be going to our apartment in Santa Pola near Alicante on Tuesday. We shall be going too, so my next blog post may well be written from there. 

When I finish publishing this post, I shall join the "children" by the pool and I think we shall be playing the "culo" card game again.  I don't care if I win or lose, I just want to be with my girls.

It has been a great week and next week promises to be another good one. I hope yours is too.

So my friends, it's time to say goodbye until next time,

Cheers Masha