The end of Suzy’s time with us, lots of cooking, a goodbye family dinner, more Airbnb hosting, a rushed PR job, the pantomime declaration of independence followed by the stripping of regional power in Catalonia, the clocks go back and other stories of the week.

Sunday 29^th October 2017

The 4 of us, a family portrait . Dinner at Oli's the night before Suzy left for London

Good  morning everyone.

How is your body clock behaving this morning after the clocks went back last night? Mine didn't react to the end of summer time. For most people it meant an hour more in bed but not for me. We changed the clock in our bedroom last night and when it showed 5.15 (6.15 today) early this morning, both Pippa and I were wide awake. Well, at least it probably means an hour more awake and a more productive day. I have lots to do today; first write this blog post, go for our walk and come back to make a family lunch when we will be joined by Oli and Miguel. We won't be joined by Suzy though who left for London after a month's break at home, on Monday morning. We miss her already and the house has felt very empty this week, apart from my Airbnb guests  of whom there have been plenty this week.

Let me start from where I left off, last Sunday, Suzy's last Sunday at home. On this day last week, my morning was pretty similar to this morning. I wrote my blog, went for our walk and then made lunch. Lunch that day was home made pizza, including the base. For that I made dough out of strong flour and left it to rise for an hour. I rolled it out and covered it with tomato sauce, chopped onion and red pepper and then mozzarella  (the only cheese I can tolerate). The base turned out to be just how I like it, slightly thick and spongy. 

Last Sunday's delicious home made pizza

Neither of the girls were with us for lunch, Suzy was still sleeping after a night out on the tiles and Olivia and Miguel were at his brother's house.  Thus I would have to make pizza for them another time, today in fact. I would spend the afternoon cooking too - there has been lots of cooking this week - and was joined by Suzy, briefly, who came home to pack as she was leaving the next day. She would spend the night at Oli's house which is nearer the airport. Before she embarked on deciding what to pack in her, or should I say my large Samsonite suitcase, she enjoyed a coffee under what would probably be the last rays of sunshine for quite some time. The dogs joined her as she sat soaking in a bit of Spanish sunlight in our garden.

Suzy soaking in the last rays of Spanish sunshine last Sunday afternoon

While she packed I cooked. We were going to Oli's for dinner that night, our last night family dinner and I wanted the make a dessert. I also wanted to make bread to take along as both girls love it. I have so much of it sliced and frozen in the deep freeze that I haven't made any more this week. Besides, Eladio finally confessed he prefers Mercadona (local supermarket) bread to mine:-(

The dessert would depend on what ingredients I had in the house. There were lots of "reineta" (bramley type) apples so I decided on apple pie. I'm not good at making pies as I'm not good with pastry but as I have been making so much bread, I thought it wouldn't be too difficult. Of course I had to find a recipe online and this is the one I used. It is called "the perfect apple pie". I hoped it would be.

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The "perfect apple pie"  recipe I found online and used. 

It worked out ok but would have been easier if the butter I used hadn't been frozen hahaha. The worst part is transferring the rolled out pastry into the tin. Here Suzy helped. I then realised there was not enough filling which by the way I had par cooked in case the apples turned out to be a bit hard.  It would take 45 minutes to bake. I wondered if the pastry would cave in but it didn't. This is the finished product:

My apple pie

So how did it taste you may be wondering? Well, not quite perfect but good. There was probably not enough filling and I think the pastry was too thick. In any case we ate half of it that night, saving some for my Father and the rest for Oli to take to work to share with her colleagues. 

I then embarked on making whole meal bread but didn't have much time for proving. So instead of proving it twice for an hour, I did so for half an hour each time. Actually it didn't turn out too bad. At least the girls loved it. 

About 15 minutes before we were leaving for Oli's house, I got a sudden Airbnb booking. Christian, the student who had stayed with us the week before, was bringing his mother to stay 2 nights. While with us he had bought a flat and his mother had come to see it  and help him move in but had nowhere to sleep as they had no furniture yet. I had to react quickly, mainly get Suzy and her luggage out of her room and tidy it up before they arrived. They came as we left and we greeted them, gave them the keys and told them to feel at home which I think they did, according to the lovely review Cristian posted on Airbnb afterwards. He gave me 5 stars and apart from all the other positive things he wrote, what I liked best was his writing that we make our guests feel as if they were in their own home. Thanks Cristian! Of course we do, that's how we are.  I would be very busy with my Airbnb hosting this week which I am really enjoying most of the time. 

We left our guests to settle in, after all Cristian knew the place, and off we went to Oli's flat further north from where we live. 

Miguel and Oli had gone all out and made a wonderful spread for our dinner. It consisted of many little platters of delicious vegetables, rice and also fillet steak, all to be washed down with sparkling cider which Eladio and I love, or wine. This is what the table looked like groaning with lovely food at Miguel and Oli's cozy and comfortable apartment. We hope to be going back again soon as we love having dinner there.

The dinner table at Oli and Miguel's last Sunday night.

It was to be our last dinner together and the last time we would be together until Christmas so we made the most of it. We took lots of photos and laughed a lot taking animated gifs using the camera on my Samsung S7. The evening ended all too soon and at 10.30, very late for us, Eladio and I reluctantly said our goodbyes as we hugged both girls. It was a great end to a month with Suzy home in Spain. We wished her all the luck in the world in her new job and new accommodation. News from her since her return to London has been positive I am glad to tell you. 

On Monday, while Suzy was beginning her journey back to London, our Catalan Airbnb guests from Tarragona were also preparing to leave. They are against independence and I wonder what they have made of the events this week. We helped them finish packing their very full van and then said our goodbyes. They also would write me a fantastic review. That morning our next guest, Paulo, from Brazil was supposed to be arriving but his flight was delayed and he didn't get here until Tuesday poor guy. He had come to do a course for Triathlon national coaches at the UEM University and wow was he sporty hahaha. He eats a lot of hard boiled eggs too, at least 10 over 2 or 3 days, mixed with cheese, curry and mustard - what an awful concoction hahaha. 

As Suzy arrived to cloudy skies in London, I got my first Home Away reservation. Home Away is similar to Airbnb and I recently posted an ad there for accommodation at our house which as you know is my main job and source of income at the moment. This is the ad. 

The main photo in my Home Away ad

3 adult couples will be staying here around New Year's Eve. After they made the reservation they rang me - guests cannot know the hosts' contact details until they make a booking, and I was surprised to learn that they were from Madrid centre, just 20km from here. All they wanted was a place to be together to celebrate NYE and they thought our house was perfect for the occasion. They will have it to themselves apart from Lucy and my Father as we will no doubt be in Montrondo for NYE. I was chuffed to get my first Home Away reservation. I hope it's the first of many.  

It was good news for Cristiano Ronaldo, the RM and Portuguese striker, or forward, however you want to call it, when that night in London he was named Fifa's best male player of the year. It's the 4th time he has won the award in 5 years. The awards are called "Best FIFA Awards" so yes, Cristiano is simply the best! 

Ronaldo, best player of the year in the FIFA awards in London this week

He beat rival Lionel Messi who was also up for the award. In a way it was a win from Real Madrid against their eternal rival, "El Barça". Real Madrid and Barcelona are forever rivals in football as they are in politics. I'm sure that was on many people's minds as the awards were handed out. And by the way, Zinedine Zidane, the French Algerian RM coach, was voted best coach of the year too. 

Tuesday was another beautiful day. It may be the end of summer time today but this week has been just like summer with temperatures unusually high for the period. Mercury rose to 30ºc at times in Madrid this week and even higher in the south. Today we will be down to 24ºc but I'm not complaining. 

That morning, Cristian's Mother, Norma, left after having a coffee with us. And while we were on our walk, our Brazilian Airbnb guest, Paulo, finally arrived. He was received and greeted by Lucy who is from Paraguay and from very near the Brazilian border. She is from Ciudad del Este and he is from a wonderful looking place called Florianopolis, an island in the south of the country. Both Lucy and I know some Portuguese but Paulo, who is here for the triathlon course, is also here to practice his Spanish. It's funny trying to understand each other but we do. I came home to have a coffee with him and was amazed at how Pippa didn't bark as she always does with anyone she is not familiar with. He loves dogs and seems a bit like a dog enchanter or so I thought when I saw Pippa licking his hand and all 3 dogs surrounding him and wagging their tails. 

He caught me making lunch and we would chat later. It was a sunny afternoon and I spent some of it reading by the pool which is a lovely thing to do when the weather is so good. I was starting on a book called Rasputin by the US historian and expert on Russia, Douglas Smith. His biography of Rasputin is supposed to be the definitive one. I downloaded a sample of it from Amazon after having read "our cousin" Felix Yusupov's biography, "Lost Splendour", recently.  It's interesting reading but a bit heavy going so I'm not sure if I will buy it on my kindle although I may well buy a printed version for my Father. 

Meanwhile, Eladio was giving his weekly lesson in philosophy to his Brazilian pupil Luciano. It would have been interesting if he and Paulo had met but it was not to be.  When it was over he joined me by the pool. Pippa loves to find us together  there and we love having her. Here she is sitting on Elado's lap. What she only ever wants, apart from food hahaha, is to be with us and we are always happy to oblige. As I told Paulo, I don't have grandchildren and she is my substitute for the moment:-)

Pippa with Eladio, Eladio with Pippa - by the pool on Tuesday

On Wednesday Suzy started her new job as a locum dietitian with the NELT (North East London Trust) where she will be working three times a day. The other days she will be working at the health clinic in Harley Street. I spoke to her at the end of the day and was happy to hear all had gone well. It was very familiar to her as her first job with the NHS had been with the same trust. Also she will be working directly under her ex mentor, Adam, with whom she gets on very well. She is also happy in her new accommodation. She will be sharing a flat with an Angolan nurse, Sandra, who is a friend and also colleague of her Spanish nurse flat mate, Chati. However she will be alone in November and December while Chati and Sandra travel the world, starting with India.  Suzy told me the flat did not have a shower and that she had to wash the "African way". I wondered what that meant. It means using the bath and a jug for rinsing or that's what my daughter probably thinks because she is living with a lady from Africa.  Actually that's what I did as a child and teenager at our house in Bradford which I never thought was strange as we only had a bath and no shower. I just thought it was cleaner to use fresh tap water to rinse my body and hair rather than the soapy bath water. But I suppose it is strange today. I wonder whether the majority of the British population still prefer the bath tub to the shower?

I'm sure they don't bathe the "African way" in Seville, in the south of Spain which this week was voted the number one city to visit in the world according to Lonely Planet (Best Travel 2018)  I'm not sure if it's the best city in the world but it is certainly one of my favourite Spanish cities. It is pure magic, beauty and history with a niff of the past of what Spain used to be like, especially in Andalusia. Chile, by the way, was voted top country. Don't ask me why. I have been there once and yes it was nice, but the top country? Well no. My top countries would be (in no particular order and excluding Spain and the UK): India, Vietnam, Morocco, South Africa, Finland, Iceland, the US, Greece, Cuba and all of Scandinavia.  But I'm proud for Spain that Seville got top place.

The stunning Plaza de España in Seville. 

I had a quiet day. I gave up on Rasputin for the moment - I may go back to him hahahah, and chose a new book after looking up the WH Smith's top fiction list for 2017. There I found a book called Behind her eyes. By the British writer, Sarah Pinborough, it's a suspense story told by different characters, jumping backwards and forwards which seems to be the norm these days. It's similar in style to Gone Girl or the Girl on the Train and is famous for its very surprising ending. I now know the ending so won't tell you anything more. I actually prefer books written in chronological order and hate flash backs. It's the same with films. Perhaps I am simplistic but I find jumping backwawrds and forwards is often confusing. 

My fictional book of the week

On Thursday the temperature rose to 30ºc. It also rose in the political climate where the crisis in Catalonia deepened. Article 155 for direct rule was to be approved by the Senate the next day and meanwhile there were a lot of negotiations going on between Madrid and Barcelona as well as Bilbao. Puigdemont and his unruly group were obviously not united as to which way to go: call elections or declare independence and on Thursday he ruled the latter out. It was expected that the next day in the Catalan parliament there would be a vote for independence. He didn't dare proclaim it himself because of the criminal charges it would mean so handed over the decision to all his cronies. He would have us on tenterhooks once again, until Friday. 

Life continued for me and I got a call from Catalonia that day too. But it had to do with work. My Swedish but Barcelona based customer wanted me to do their nationwide communication for news to be announced the next day about the powering up of the first phase of their network in the Cantabrian region. They didn't give me much time to react nor much information. I had to draw up a press release which would have sufficient meat on it for the Madrid and Barcelona media to buy; no easy feat. I started work there and then and within a few hours had a draft which I had to put on google docs. I also had to go to the dentist that afternoon, at 5pm, just as Puigdemont went on TV to announce there would be no elections. But my mind was on my client, Adamo. It was to be a really rushed PR job and I only wish I had been given more time.  But still, you know me, I love a challenge. 

That night I slept really badly and was awake at 5 in the morning, my mind on the Adamo press release. I was still introducing minor changes to the press release until mid morning. I then had to draft an email text introducing the news and prepare the mails to be sent to my media list. I decided to send each one individually with a personalised text and I had until 12.30 to do so which was one big rush. It finally went out and this was it. It was very local news and I didn't have much hope of coverage on a national level but I did my best. I had to sort of grovel in my emails which is not my style but on Friday I had to use all the tools I had. I kept googling to see if anything had been published and it wasn't until Saturday morning that I would see the fruits of my labour.

Meanwhile, our new Airbnb guest arrived, Borja, a sports master student from Navarra near the Rioja region attending a weekend course at the UEM University. It was bad luck but the hot water had stopped working the night before which is not good for my Airbnb hosting. Thankfully it was warm weather and the plumber came later that evening and things were sorted. I never used to worry about breakdowns in the house but now do because of my guests. Poor Eladio is the one in charge of maintenance so I'm afraid he gets a bit more badgering than before. 

My problems, stress, work, etc paled into insignificance when that morning the vote for independence took place in the Catalan parliament. It was just a pantomime as 1 day later the parliament would be dissolved. But the separatists had to have the last word and the picture of victory which would be sweet but very short. The whole thing was a farce not to mention void of any legality. The constitutional parties (PP, PSOE and Ciudadanos) left their seats in disgust covering them with the Spanish and Catalan normal "senyera" flag - not the "estellada" the independence flag - and the separatists continued their farce. 

The Senyera Catalan flag and on the right the Estelada the pro independence Catalan flag

In order not to be discovered, they voted in secret. Yes in secret (very undemocratic) and of course the bill went through. Less than 70 people were to decide the future of the unity of Spain!!!!  

Puigdemont voting in secret for independence and ilegaly

Outside, pro independence supporters popped their bottles of cava in celebration while the rest of Spain and of course the Catalans not in favour of independence and who are a majority, looked on aghast. Meanwhile Rajoy told the nation on his Twitter account that order would be restored. Well it would but they still got their picture which was published the world around.  I couldn't believe what was happening. I mean can you imagine Angela Merkel or Emanuel Macron letting independence be proclaimed in a German Land or French region? No, of course not.  I would have sent the Army in I was furious. It was a sad day for Spain and a very ugly picture that was painted on Friday and a fractured society in Catalonia. 

Eladio and I went out to dinner to commiserate. We went to Ginos where I mostly enjoyed a few glasses of rosé lambrusco wine which weren't very good for the headache I had before and after dinner. But it was nice to get out and try and not think about the Catalan crisis although of course we did talk about it. That's all there is on in the TV these days anyway. 

Saturday morning was very much the day after the night before. I had breakfast reading the international headlines about Catalonia. I have been surprised by the BBC's coverage so far which seems to sympathise with the separatists and so many international publications that compare this crisis to times under Franco. That is just so "old hat" I'm afraid and far far from the truth as Catalonia as a region has probably the most autonomy in Europe after the Basque country and is far from repressed. What pleased me though was to see quite a bit of media coverage resulting from my efforts the day before. I was happy to see Adamo's news in La Vanguardia, El Periodico de Cataluña, El Economista, Expansión and quite a few others. That was one huge sigh of relief as I had expected far less. It was quite a feather in my cap on Saturday morning. 

It was on Saturday morning that the Government announced the application of Article 155. Meanwhile, Puigdemont, refusing to accept being sacked, released a previously recorded speech announcing he would continue the fight. Elections will take place on 21st December and my fear is that the result will be very similar to the power share today and that the separatists may get even more support. I wonder where that would leave us then. Hopefully, by then he and his cronies will be in prison.  I am astonished at events this week and sad for the Spain I love. I only want peace and unity. One good thing to come out of all this is more unity in the rest of Spain and also that the Spanish red and yellow flag has finally become a symbol of unity rather than of fascism. People are flying it everywhere after this week's and the previous week's political commotion and crisis, the worst since the Spanish Civil War and I don't write that lightly. 

Just before lunch, a book I had ordered from Amazon for my Father, Eladio and I, arrived although my Father will be the first to read it.  I also bought it after reading Felix Yusupov's memoirs. Called "Thirteen Years at the Russian Court" - The last years of the Romanov Tsar and his family by an eyewitness" it is a biography by Pierre Gilliard a Swiss who was the Tsar's childrens tutor of French. He was with the family when they were imprisoned by the Bolsheviks and was one of the few who was with them and whose life was spared. 

As far as I know, he is the only eyewitness of the end of the life of the Tsar and his family to have survived and written a book. I look forward to reading it. Looking at the cover at the picture of Tsar Nicholas II it is uncanny how similar in appearance he was to his cousin George V.  One thing I learned though from Yusupov's autobiography was that the King of England did indeed invite the Tsar and his family to take exile at Buckingham Palace but it was the Russian Emperor who declined saying he would never leave Mother Russia. I had always thought that it had been the other way round. But wouldn't things have been different if the Russian Royal family had taken exile in England? You must be a bit tired of my writing fleetingly but often about this time in Russia but of course it's in my blood and genes and I was brought up on the stories of those times. 

I said the book came before lunch but I didn't tell you what I made for lunch. Well, more cooking of course took place yesterday and we had the most delicious roast meal - lamb and all the trimmings including some baxters mint jelly bought a while back at the English shop in Madrid. You're right if you think it is odd to have a Sunday roast on a Saturday. Well I just felt like doing it ok.

Yesterday's roast lamb which we all adored.

The rest of the day was quiet, we read, did the weekly shopping, had a light dinner, interacted with our Airbnb guests and went to bed early to watch the news about Catalonia - no films or series on Netflix at the moment I'm afraid.  This is far more dramatic I can tell you.

And today is Sunday, the end of the week and blog day to quote my Father. As I said at the beginning too the clocks went back last night and this morning we all woke up to find it was one hour earlier and the end of summer time and beginning of what is called "daylight saving time". 

The clocks went back last night

I'm not sure what it saves. There are cases both against and for the change in time. It was apparently introduced in many parts of Europe during the War to help the economy. I'm not sure the pros outweigh the cons as it can affect your health. Apparently we get longer daylight hours although I prefer more light in the evening rather than in the morning. It is said it decrease the number of car accidents but that it can also give you a heart attack. The debate is eternal. All I know is that each time the clocks go back I hate it. I far prefer it when in March they go forward and we gain more evening light.  

So today will be a very long one. The best part about today was having Oli and Miguel for lunch. As I said earlier, I decided to make my new home made pizza with home made dough. We ate nearly all of it - I actually made 2 - and I forgot to take a photo. 

Now everyone is sleeping a siesta and instead of sleeping, here I am finishing this week's post which, by the way, is a bit late today. Sorry about that everyone.

Who knows what next week will bring? You can find out about mine next Sunday of course. Hopefully things will have calmed down in Catalonia by then. 

Cheers everyone till then,

Masha

Back from Montrondo, Galicia on fire, Olivia returns from St. Petersburg, girly time, Spanish government to take control of Catalonia and other stories of the week.

Sunday 22nd October 2017

Girly time this week. Here with my lovely daughters Oli (in blue) and Suzy out shopping on Wednesday.

Hi again,

Tension has escalated in Spain over the Catalan crisis but last Sunday was quiet. It was our last day in Montrondo. There was lots to do to leave the house in order but I managed one last long walk to Senra and back with little Pippa.  

Happy on my walk to Senra and back last Sunday in Montrondo. See how dry the terrain is. 

I thought we had the old path to ourselves but no, just behind us came two men and two horses. It was our neighbours who were taking their lovely horses to another field where the grass would hopefully be greener. 

My neighbours with their horses on the old path on my walk last Sunday in Montrondo.

It was so dry everywhere, although, thankfully, since we left, rain came. The villagers, I hope, will be able to irrigate the fields and crops now which had been forbidden since the summer something pretty unheard of in Montrondo where the cost of water per household per annum is only 8 euros.  

Just as we left the path and joined the main road into Murias, I was startled by a noise coming from the field on my left. I was then delighted to see that it came from the pony and donkey that live in the fields outside Murias. Pippa, of course, barked at them. I was sorry I had no bread or sugar to offer them. They are such a lovely sight.

The pony and the donkey in the fields of Murias

After a coffee and a shared biscuit with Pippa in Senra, I walked back to Murias where I was joined by Eladio for a drink at the Palloza bar, the only one in the village. Unfortunately they don't let dogs in. Spain is not a very dog friendly country I am afraid.

Eladio at the Palloza bar in Murias last Sunday morning

I came home to make the last lunch of this stay in Montrondo. I went for an easy option; home made pizza which tasted just delicious. In fact we ate it all, apart from a little piece which would be Eladio's dinner that night.

Home made pizza for lunch on Sunday, our last day in Montrondo

We left at about 5.30. It would take us an hour longer than usual to get home as there was so much traffic on the roads it being the end of a bank holiday.  We were home by about 10.30 pm and after unpacking watched the news on Catalonia about Puigdemont's imminent response to Rajoy. But that turned out not to be the main news that night. The main news came from Galicia in the north west of Spain.  The region was literally on fire. There were more than 100  arsonist provoked fires and this time houses and people were in danger. The city of Vigo was under siege with people having to abandon their homes and smoke everywhere.  

The city of Vigo  in Galicia besieged by fire last Sunday

4 people would die and more than 30 lost their homes to flames thanks to what has been called "incendiary terrorism".  There were also fires in León, not so far from Montrondo, and also in the lovely province of Asturias.  Portugal fared even worse with many more deaths. I cannot begin to understand how anyone would want to start these fires. Are they pyromaniacs or there other motives behind their arson? I imagine it is very difficult to catch them but I do hope they are caught and soon. Thankfully 2 days after the fires started the rain came and Galicia, León, Asturias and Portugal are no longer on fire. 

Later that night, Suzy would be home too after a lovely weekend with her Whitechapel friends in Cáceres. It would be her last full week with us before she heads back to London tomorrow. 

On Monday Carles Puigdemont, the Catalan President, replied to Rajoy just before the 10 am deadline. He was to reply whether he had declared independence or not or otherwise face direct rule from Madrid who would invoke Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution. El País published the letter before the deadline. It was as ambiguous as his speech after the referendum.  So he got another letter from the Spanish Government with three more days to reply. We would all wait with bated breath for the next deadline on Thursday of this week. Meanwhile, more than 1000 companies have left the region, changing their HQ to other areas of Spain so as to remain within the EU if independence is proclaimed. 

Monday was a cool day with rain expected. We had a quiet day. I went on my walk with Eladio and the dogs and then did the food shopping with Suzy.  Olivia's day in St. Petersburg, her last day of work there, was much more exciting. She interviewed a Spanish Catholic priest from Madrid who lives there and who is an exorcist. In the  photo below you can see her with him on the rooftops of Peter the Great's "window to the west".

Oli with the exorcist in SP

She was keen to tell her father about it. After all, he was a priest too before we married. What she didn't know is that her father is also an exorcist although he has never practiced (hahahaha). When he was ordained a priest he was also ordained an exorcist. Later he would give Olivia his rather scathing opinion about the practice. After all, he is also a philosopher with his feet very much on the ground. 

If Eladio is a philosopher with his feet on the ground, I am quite the opposite. Again I made bread on Monday, making both Suzy and hopefully him happy. Once again I used spelt flour but this time I added both oat and strong flour too and seeds. It was ready for dinner, hot out of the oven. Eating it that way with butter reminds me of how my Mother used to make bread at home and the lovely smells emanating from the kitchen.

The spelt and oat bread I made on Monday

I was very pleased on Monday to get two new Airbnb reservations. A student from Toledo who is doing a masters degree at the local University was coming the next day for 4 nights. The other reservation was for 2 women from Tarragona (Catalonia) coming for 6 nights to attend a handicraft fair they were exhibiting at. With all the question of Catalonia, I wondered whether they would be for or against independence. Many houses around us and indeed all over Spain, have Spanish flags flying in their homes after an upsurge in patriotism. With these flags they are telling society they want a united Spain. The Spanish flag has a negative fascist connotation, unlike the Nordic countries for example. It is only really used here to support "La Roja" (Spanish national football team) and now it is being used to show support for a united Spain. Maybe that is a good thing and the flag will finally lose its negative connotation. Certainly flag sellers these days are making a fortune. Our local kiosk sells them at 3.5 euros each. There are quite a few where we live but many many more in the towns. I couldn't believe how many I saw when Suzy and I went into the city centre this week.

There is a fever for hanging Spanish flags on houses and buildings since the call for independence in Catalonia. 

I was glad though, that we don't have one in our garden, as it might have put off our Catalan guests hahaha. Eladio later remarked when he saw so many flags in the houses in our area that maybe we should put up the Spanish, EU, British and even Catalan flags. Maybe we should hahaha. 

But back to my Airbnb reservations. These days, hosting Airbnb guests and managing the reservations, calendar, etc, seems to be my main job and source of income.  So every time I get a new booking I get a high. On Monday I got two so there was motive for celebration.  

The rain that was threatened on Monday finally came on Tuesday, breaking a spell of 49 dry days in Madrid and many other areas of Spain. But the real rain wouldn't come until Wednesday when it poured it down all day.  Luckily it held off on our morning walk. I was back on time  to accompany Suzy to Madrid for her appointment to renew her Spanish passport and Spanish national identity document.  The documents are issued at a police station and Suzy's appointment was at the one in the Santa Engracia street. First we had to get some photos which we did at a very lucrative little photography shop opposite the police station. The appointment was on time and after just giving her name and one photo, within a few moments Suzy had her brand new DNI (identity document) in her hands. We couldn't believe how fast the process had been and had expected the document to be sent to her weeks later. That was great. Even greater was learning she would get her brand new passport just 10 minutes later. Both documents cost just 37 euros, a lot less than a passport in the UK. As we were there waiting I thought just how lucky Suzy is to have both a UK and Spanish passport while Brexit looms. I only have a British one and may have to apply for Spanish nationality one of these days. It all depends, of course, on the terms of bloody Brexit. And here is my lucky daughter with her new documents outside the police station a few moments later.

Suzy happily clutching her new Spanish passport and national identity document outside the police station on Tuesday morning in Madrid.

We went to celebrate by having a coffee together nearby. We went to an English tea room, the only one in Madrid. Called "Living in London", it is a place I love to go to. And here is Suzy with her coffee served in very  genteel china cups.

Coffee at English tea room in Madrid with Suzy on Tuesday morning

We were home on time for lunch. I was also on time for my 5 pm dental appointment. I was to be given root canal treatment on a back tooth that had been giving me trouble. It was a horrible 50 or so minutes on the dental chair where I had to be given two doses of anesthesia and even then there was the odd sharp pain as the dentist pushed and pulled inside my mouth. I now have 3 more appointments to go and I'm not looking forward to them. 

Once home, my Airbnb guest, Cristian, a psychologist by the way, had arrived and settled into what is actually Suzy's room, one of the nicest in this house. As I walked in, Suzy was showing the house to the two Catalan ladies. One of the ladies was so enormous, Eladio was worried she would break the bed hahaha. Well, she hasn't so far thank goodness. 

Back in St Petersburg, Olivia had started her return journey to Spain. She had to fly first to Moscow and from there take an Aeroflot flight leaving at 6.30 pm which would get her to Barajas airport 5 hours later. She sent me a photo that day to show me the things she had bought for my Father that I had asked her to buy and knew he would appreciate. She got him a Russian newspaper called Pravda which I thought he would like but later he told us it was a tabloid. He preferred the higher brow newspaper she got  on the plane. She also bought his favourite Russian sweets called "karowka". Made of fudge, we used to call them "kruvki" when we lived in Yorkshire. The third item was Russian "halva" a sort of soft nougat which is really of Middle Eastern origin. We used to eat that at home too. My parents often sought these items from the various Polish shops in Bradford. 

Newspapers and sweets for my Father from Russia

Suzy would wait up for Oli who would be coming from the airport by taxi. The good thing was she would have the next day off and we would have quality girly time on Wednesday. It's not often we are all together and when we are we love it.  

And yes the rain came again on Wednesday and it poured so hard, Eladio and I had to skip our walk. Thus I was able to be with the girls while they had breakfast. It was great to be together again. The dogs were happy about it too. And here they are, all 3 of them, hoping for crumbs from their breakfast.

Our 3 dogs were happy to see Oli and Suzy and all of us together on Wednesday. They are so much part of our family.

But before the girls got up, the Catalan ladies came down before leaving for the exhibition. Maybe I was a bit daring but I asked them what their thoughts were on the bid for independence by the radical minority leading the process. They told me they were part of the silent majority against independence and that they feared for their business and hate what is happening. In no uncertain terms they told me the move for independence was a coup d'état. They also said they dare not express their opinions in public where they live for fear of being harassed and labeled "españolistas". They were very worried indeed. It was very interesting to hear their side of the story.  

So that morning, while the girls got ready to go out, I did what calms me down a lot during these difficult times and that is make bread. I made 4 loaves as the girls just devour my home made bread. These were the loaves I made on Wednesday.

The 4 loaves of bread I made on Wednesday. There's not much left now hahaha. 

Once my two daughters were ready, the three of us went on a shopping expedition to a big commercial centre not so far from here, Gran Plaza 2. They wanted to buy birthday presents for some of their "manada" friends who would be celebrating this weekend. The photo illustrating this week's post is of the 3 of us out shopping. I promise, I didn't buy anything. I don't need any clothes at all but it's always difficult to resist going into Zara. 

The family got fish and chips for lunch which made everyone happy. It was wet and cold so we couldn't go out in the afternoon either. Instead we all had a siesta and later watched a film on Netflix together, even Eladio. I don't know why, but we chose a 90s film called Awakenings with Robin Williams and Robert de Niro. I had seen it many years ago but it's a film well worth watching more than once. 

At dinner together, yes the 4 of us, talk was about Catalonia and also Olivia's experiences in St. Petersburg. Oli's exorcist priest had warned her never to play the Ouija board which according to him was playing with fire. I should know as I played it a lot in my last year at school and I will never forget one or two frightening moments.  Eladio was very disparaging about both exorcism and the Ouija game. 

Thursday was a quiet day. It rained again but only in the morning. The sun seems to have come back now but the temperatures are more typical  of the autumn. It wasn't quiet on the political front though. That morning Rajoy received Puigdemont's letter which was again ambiguous. There was no other option for him and the central government than to impose Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution withdrawing regional power. For that there would be a cabinet meeting on Saturday morning to decide on its application. 

I had breakfast with my girls and then Suzy drove Oli to work. I took the time to go to the hairdresser to cut my hair and dye my roots. I often think what a bore it is to have to do that, but, if I want to look less like a granny at 60, I don't have much option. I later accompanied Suzy to the local private doctor who is from the Dominican Republic and thankfully for me is happy to prescribe my sleeping pills which the national health service here won't do. They say I will get addicted. Well I might get addicted but at least I get a better night's sleep. While there I got locked in the loo hahahaha but not for long.  I was wondering whether I would have to climb over the door or if the fire brigade would have to be called, when eventually the door opened after a visiting salesman broke the lock. The last time I was locked in the loo was on holiday at the seaside with my Father and brother. I was 7 at the time and I think they had to put a ladder up the wall for me to get out via the window. 

Later I had another adventure in the loo when my smartphone fell out of my back pocket and into water which was clean I should add!!  I quickly retrieved it, dried it with a towel and switched it off. When I switched it on again, not only was it working but I had a message on the Airbnb app with a new reservation. A Brazilian student will be staying 8 nights here from tomorrow. He is attending a course for national triathlon coaches at the local university. We will be lending him Oli's bike to get to the UNI, about 3 km from here. It is a very ordinary bike, not a triathlon one and I hope it turns out to be suitable hahaha. 

It seemed to be a day of adventures. Suzy's was the worst by far. That night she took my Mini to Madrid where she would be meeting a friend for dinner. At the restaurant her bag fell off her chair and she only realised the car keys had been left at the restaurant when she went to get her car at the end of the evening. By that time the restaurant had closed. She rang us for help at about 1 in the morning. What worried me most was that the other set of keys for the Mini were also missing and I envisaged a keyless car parked in the centre of Madrid for days while we got new keys which can't be an easy task. In the end she took a taxi home and the next day I found the missing keys in the garage. The restaurant also had kept the other keys and she went back to Madrid for the car the next day. All in all a bit of a nightmare but all's well that ends well thank goodness.  

Friday was a quiet day but it was also a red letter day. Suzy who had taken 2 months off from locum jobs in London, had spent some of her time here in Spain searching for a new job before she went back. It was on Friday that she got the green light for a band 5 post as a dietitian with the NHS at the same Trust she had worked for before, the North London Trust. She will combine this job with her Harley Street consultation work at the Britzke clinic. She has to start next Wednesday so on Friday booked her flight back. It means her time with us will be cut slightly short and she will now be leaving tomorrow. It has been great to have her and I wish her all the luck in the world in this new chapter of her life in London. Go girl go. You will always have our support. 

When the rain stopped on Friday, Eladio took the opportunity to mow the lawn and I went on our walk with little Pippa. Suzy spent the night at Oli's as Miguel was back from Valencia and Eladio and I decided that if the cat's away the mice will play and we went out to dinner. We chose Ginos as I had a craving for pasta.  

On Saturday I did not have the pleasure of the girls' company at breakfast. They were enjoying it together at Oli and Miguel's house. But I did get a photo of Suzy having a very healthy breakfast at their place. This is it.

Suzy having breakfast at Oli's place on Saturday morning

I realised when I saw the photo with all the fruit that we had run out of fruit at home, even though I had done the weekly shopping on Monday. Furthermore I had to make lunch for everyone so had no option but to do more food shopping on Saturday morning. I came back to see the kitchen invaded by the girls as Suzy was making cakes for her friends' birthday do that night.  Thank goodness it is a big kitchen. While Suzy made the cakes and we put the shopping away, Oli helped me make a huge dish of coq au vin for lunch. As it was baking in the oven, we turned on the TV on my iPad to watch Mariano Rajoy  announce the application of Article 155 which still has to be approved by the Senate. In a few words it means elections will be called in Catalonia within the next 6 months, the current President and counselors to be removed and the central government to take control. He has the full backing of both the socialist and new central party,  PSOE and Ciudadanos. Immediately afterwards there were huge protests in the streets of Barcelona protesting the direct rule but also the imprisonment of the 2 Jordis, the masterminds behind the referendum who have been sent to prison for locking police in a building for 24 hours who were removing electoral material in September and also setting a police car on fire. I wonder now whether Puigdemont will dare declare independence. If he does, he may well face prison too. At the moment the tensions could not be higher. I hate the whole situation. The pro independence followers call the imposition of the Article 155 a coup d'état but what they won't recognise is that the illegal referendum they organised is also a coup d'état and Article 155 would not have been imposed if they had not gone against the law. Now they will practice civil disobedience. It is not a pretty picture and I don't know what the final outcome will be as I can't really see new elections changing much. Time will tell. 

Deadlock with the Catalonian independence forces

The girls I guess are less worried about the situation.  They went out that night to celebrate their friends, Anita and Chati's birthdays. We stayed at home, mostly glued to the TV to watch events unfold until we could take no more. 

Judging by Suzy's message this morning at 8 am, telling me she was just going to bed at Oli's house, they must have had a good night out. This is a photo of some of them having fun yesterday evening.

Oli and Suzy having fun with their friends last night. 

Today, Sunday, is Suzy's last day in Spain before going back which is a bit sad. I will miss her. Thankfully we shall all have dinner together tonight at Oli's, our last time together until Christmas probably.

And so my friends, I have come to the end of the tales of this week. I hope you have enjoyed this post and look forward to writing again next Sunday. The clocks will go back next weekend; something I always find difficult to adjust to. I imagine you do too.

Cheers then until next time,

Masha

A trip to Montrondo with Suzy, crisis in Catalonia, Oli in St. Petersburg, the fair in Villablino and other stories.

Sunday 15^th October, 2017

It was wonderful to spend quality time with our older daughter Suzy this week in Montrondo.

Good morning everyone from our village house in sunny Montrondo here in the mountains of north west Spain where Eladio and his brothers and sisters were born. 

We love this village and we love the family house we restored 2 years ago. The girls love it too, having spent summer upon summer here since they were tiny. It's our place to relax and wind down, it's a haven of tranquility and the essence of slow living. That's why Suzy wanted to spend a few days with us here during her break in Spain after 5 years in stressful London. We have had great quality time together. 

Our house the stone one in the middle in the family enclave in Montrondo . Spot Pippa!

I was of course up very early last Sunday the day we left for Montrondo. We couldn't leave until Eladio had finished his private lesson in philosophy to his Brazilian student Luciano at noon.

At around this time, in Barcelona, a massive demonstration was being held against independence by the so-called "silent majority", i.e. those people who are against independence but who, until recently, hadn't dared raise their voices. Demonstrations were held too in other Spanish cities and even as far as London and Brussels. The "independentistas" did what they could to thwart the event but could not stop hundreds of thousands taking to the streets holding Catalan, Spanish and EU flags. I for one was very happy to finally see people on the street against independence. It was big news both here and abroad.  People came from all over Spain to join the silent majority and rally for a united Spain. 

The silent majority demonstration in Barcelona against independence last Sunday. 

Rafa Nadal, who spoke out recently in favour of the unity of Spain, would have been happy to join the crowds led by the Nobel literature laureate Mario Vargas Llosa. But he was in Peking garnering yet another victory for Spain when he played the final and won the Chinese Open. He is one of Spain's best ambassadors. 

I packed everything we would need to take with us, including food until we could go shopping in Villablino on Monday. I also packed, for the first time in many years, a picnic lunch to have on the way. We left at around 12.30 and stopped about 150 km north of Madrid to eat our lunch at a picnic area which was alright but a bit fly infested. These sort of places are not looked after in Spain unfortunately. I had made salmon and egg sandwiches with my home made bread and a salad which we all devoured. Here are Eladio and Suzy enjoying the moment.

Our picnic last Sunday on the way to Montrondo

As we got into the car after our picnic lunch, I couldn't find my phone. It was panic stations when it wasn't to be found and I realised I had left it in the loo at a petrol station we had stopped at about 50 km north of Madrid. Eladio rang it and no one picked it up until a woman rang him with my phone. God bless her, she had found my phone in the loo and had rung the last number registered on it. She agreed to leave it with the manager of the petrol station who we spoke to and asked to keep it until we got there. It took us a while as we had to drive all the way back and back again which added about 1.5h to our 4h journey.  But finally I had my phone again, my lovely Samsung Galaxy S7 with all the content in it. I had been envisaging having to fork our over 700 euros for a new one and being without one all weekend. Thank God for honest people. Suzy and I had an ice cream and M+Ms respectively to celebrate hahahah. 

We got to Montrondo after 6pm but thankfully it doesn't get dark here until nearly 8.30 pm. So, after unpacking and settling in, Suzy and I set off for a walk to Murias and back with little Pippa of course. The photo illustrating this week's post is of Suzy on that walk by the village sign post. She was happy to be here again after an absence of nearly 2 years and happy also to enjoy our still new house which she had only stayed at once back in December 2015. The village was looking gorgeous in its new Autumn colours although a little dry as it hasn't rained here for a long time and the temperatures are unusually high for this time of year.

The village just before dusk last Sunday when we arrived.

I also had to have a photo by the Montrondo sign post and, as always, with Pippa, my shadow hahaha.

Pippa and I by the Montrondo sign post on our walk last Sunday

It was nice to greet villagers on our way such as Salo, Mari Carmen and her daughter Choni. They all greeted Suzy like long lost friends as they hadn't seen her for such a long time.  

Monday came and I was up early. After my first cup of coffee I made everyone's breakfast and soon Suzy was down to join me. Here she is outside with her first cup of coffee - in that we are like mother like daughter hahaha.

Suzy happy to be in Montrondo - here on Monday morning with her cup of coffee

Meanwhile, back in Madrid, Oli was waiting to hear whether she and her cameraman had been granted a visa by the Russian Embassy. She had planned all sorts of interviews with people from Madrid who live there, including a Catholic priest who practices exorcism (!) and a young Spanish ballet dancer and if everything was to go according to schedule they needed to be in Saint Petersburg by Tuesday morning. That was her first taste of Russian bureaucracy of which she was to experience quite a lot. Finally it came through at 16.30 and they were able to take a midnight flight with Aeroflot to Moscow. I warned her that the Russian airline, at least in my time, was called "Aeroflop" hahaha. From there they would take another flight to SP or "Peter" as most Russians call it, by 08.30 on Tuesday morning.  On the way someone stole her winter coat and upon arrival my younger daughter's first mission was to buy a coat as it was very cold compared to Madrid. That day they would be filming the Summer Palace with its famous golden room. This trip with her new programme "madrileños por el mundo" was to be very special for her. She would be discovering her Russian roots as of course her Grandmother, my mother, was Russian. 

Suzy and I would be doing much more mundane shopping for food in the nearest town to Montrondo, Villablino a mining town about 25 minutes drive from here. But we were to enjoy it immensely. Before going to Gadis that lovely supermarket which you only find in the north of Spain, we went to have a coffee. I took Suzy to a place called "Selene", introduced to me by my sister-in-law in the summer. With the coffee comes a platter of delicious home made pastries which are so naughty but so nice I, at least, couldn't resist them. And here is Suzy pointing at the one she was going to attack first.

Coffee with free pastries and fritters at a bar called Selene in Villablino on Monday

I think I paid about 3 euros for both coffees and still can't work out how the bar makes money if they offer such big portions of free pastries and fritters with the coffee which is already quite cheap. 

From Selene we walked back to Gadis where we had parked our car and here we stocked up with all the provisions we would need for our stay in Montrondo. We were home just on time for lunch which I had actually made before we left, vegetable lentils which we ate with a lovely fish pie we bought at Gadis. 

After lunch I set about making bread with spelt flour I had brought with me. It would be the first time I was making bread without using a dough hook and I wasn't sure how it would turn out. Actually it was very easy and since then I have made bread twice and it has always been a success. 

Making bread by hand with spelt flour in Montrondo

The dough half proven

While my dough was proving, Suzy was enjoying the sunshine in the garden behind the house, the part we all call "la era"  which is really a sort of field that belongs to all the family. Here is Suzy on one of the sunbeds.

Suzy on the sunbed in the field at the back of our house

I made 13 small rolls which we would devour for dinner and breakfast the next morning. But before eating again, we had to go on our daily walk. That afternoon, Eladio joined us and we ventured up the mountains, destination the "abedular" (birch tree forest). It was a glorious warm evening and thankfully, for Pippa, there were no cows in the fields or on the path hahaha.  Once at our destination, about a 30 minute walk up the mountains from the village, we took a selfie which you can see below. I also had to have a photo of Suzy with her Father which you can also see below. Those were very happy moments together. We only wished Oli was with us too but of course we were happy for her being in St. Petersburg. 

A selfie of the 3 of us in the mountains or should I say the 4 of us with Pippa hahaha. 

Father and daughter posing for the camera by the Abedular. 

We would have loved to carry on up the mountains but it was getting a little late and soon the sun would go down and the temperatures would drop. The temperatures this week have been quite extreme with the lowest temperature being about 5ºc and the highest 25ºc!

As we arrived in the village we were greeted by a farmer, Manolo, the man who rescued me in his 4wd car when I broke my leg in the ice about 3 years ago. We chatted as I love to do with all the villagers. I asked after his stock wondering if he had any small calves to show me. It turned out he had a 5 week old calf whose mother had run out of milk and who he has to hand feed twice a day. My luck was in as it was feeding time just as we were talking and we got to see it first hand. I loved the little calf upon first sight. Poor little thing.

Manolo's 5 week old calf whose mother ran out of mil and which he has to hand feed

I was in my element as I love animals, especially 4 legged ones. I even got to feed the calf myself with Manolo's curious baby bottle. It sure did tug at it.

Feeding Manolo's 5 week old calf. What a lovely experience. 

Whilst there he also showed us his huge pigs and offered us a sack of his home grown potatoes and ginormous onions. That was so kind of him. We also got to see 2 bullocks being fattened for slaughter which I found a little sad.  I had a long chat to him about dairy cows and his bulls and find farming life really interesting although it must be very tough. Perhaps I missed my vocation. Maybe ...

We came back to make a delicious dinner - tuna fish salad - which we ate with my home made rolls. Food always seems to taste better  in Montrondo up in the mountains and our are appetites seem bigger hahaha.

Tuna fish salad for dinner on Monday night

My spelt flour bread rolls 

During and after dinner we watched the news on various channels to see what was happening in Catalonia. This is the only important news in Spain right now, the question of the illegal referendum and declaration of independence, something which would fracture Spain and something which is frowned upon by the European Union. This week we have seen more and more companies based in Catalonia change their HQ for other cities in Spain to make sure, if independence is declared,  they stay in the Euro Zone. Meanwhile, many individuals are taking their money into other areas of Spain near Catalonia and changing banks. It's also affecting tourism and even exports. The next day the world waited with baited breath for the man behind the division of Spain, Carles Puigdemont, to declare unilateral independence and all that that would mean. 

Tuesday was the big day, 10th October, the day of the  declaration but it wasn't taking place until 6 pm that evening. We had breakfast together and later, after preparing a lamb casserole for Eladio and I, Suzy, Pippa and I went for a long walk to Senra and back. It's about 2 hours there and back and the carrot stick is a cup of coffee at Senra which is the half way mark.  It was warm again as it has been every day and on our way back we stopped in Murias for a drink of water from the fountain in one of the squares as we were parched. Here you can see Suzy next to it. 

Suzy drinking water from the fountain in Murias on one of our walks this week

We came home to cook lunch together. Eladio caught us on camera as we worked in harmony. I even made more bread something which is becoming a bit of an addiction. 

Cooking with Suzy in harmony together

Later Suzy and I both lay on the sunbeds while Eladio watched all the pre-declaration debates he could on the television leading up to  Puigdemont's scheduled appearance at the Generalitat (regional Catalan government) at 18h. There was all sorts of speculation about it but Suzy and I preferred to lounge in the sun outside, accompanied by Pippa.

Lounging outside the house in the sun with Pippa, Mother and daughter. 

Olivia, meanwhile, was doing her first day of work in St. Petersburg. That day she would be filming the summer palace also called the St. Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo (Tsar's town). When I was in SP the year I left Nokia in 2005, I also visited it. I was bowled over by the golden room and will never forget our Soviet type guide telling us that after it was built, there was not one rouble left in the country's coffers. Well, of course there wouldn't be.

The golden room at St .Catherine's palace outside SP.

At 6 pm sharp I joined Eladio to watch the TV and see Puigdemont's appearance. As he walked up the stairs of the Generalitat I think there have never been so many members of the press there in all its history. The whole world was watching events in Catalonia. I wonder what he was thinking as he walked up those stairs. Perhaps he was congratulating himself on the good job he and his cronies had done of whipping up support and sympathy from the international media by portraying Catalonia as a martyr region oppressed by an undemocratic country led by Mariano Rajoy. Their international media strategy has been second to none and that evening there was a big crowd of journalists from outside Spain. 

10th October and Puigdemont making his appearance at the Genaralitat.

However, all the members of the press and all the spectators watching the TV would have to wait another hour. For reasons unknown, the Catalan Government asked to delay Puigdemont's speech by one hour. There was speculation that factions in his coalition government were not in agreement with the text of his speech. Finally, at just after 7pm, he started and we all waited with baited breath to see what he would say. His speech was long and ambiguous and it was not clear whether he had actually declared independence when suddenly he stated that he would like to suspend it in order to have dialogue with the Madrid government. The dialogue being of course, only the terms of separation, something the Spanish government will never accept.  What he said was this: “Today I assume the mandate for Catalonia to become an independent state in the form of a republic ......... We propose the suspension of the effects of the declaration of independence for a few weeks, to open a period of dialogue.” Later the members of his coalition government signed a declaration of independence which apparently has no legal binding. 

I was baffled at his words and so were all the members of the TV debates going on afterwards. So had he declared independence or hadn't he? As I write now and it's Saturday evening, we still don't know. The pro independence crowds outside the Generalitat were very disappointed as were the most radical group of the coalition, the CUP party. 

Life continued and Suzy and I made dinner which was a delicious platter of scrambled eggs with mushrooms. More interestingly, Olivia ate pelmeni that night in SP (similar to ravioli), a very Russian dish which she has eaten many times at home. This is the photo of her pelmeni. I do wish I could have been with her to enjoy what is probably my favourite Russian food, a dish my Mother used to make. 

The pelmeni Oli had for dinner one night in St. Petersburg.

Oli was also glued to the TV in Russia watching the events unfold in Catalonia after Puigdemont's appearance at the Generalitat. Eladio and I watched the TV until we both fell asleep.  

On Wednesday morning I was keen to read the coverage of the events in Catalonia the day before and the Spanish Government's reaction.  That morning there was a Cabinet meeting to decide on whether or how to apply article 155 of the Spanish Constitution. The article would allow it to take over the government of the Catalonian regional autonomy. It is something that has never happened before in Spain and it is uncharted waters. But the first step was a letter to Puigdemont, incredibly, to ask whether he had declared independence or not!!!  He has until next Monday to reply before the central government takes steps. If he replies yes he then has 3 days to withdraw the declaration. If he doesn’t do that or doesn’t react or reply by Thursday the Government could seize control of Catalonia. I would not like to be in his shoes I can tell you. It's not a pretty picture. Thankfully the opposition party the PSOE (socialists) have given their full backing to Mariano Rajoy who  have conditioned it to a reform of the constitution to take place within 6 months. A reform could mean including a clause about a legal referendum for Catalonia but the whole population of Spain would have to vote for or against the reformed constitution. And so we all now have a respite until Monday, Puigdemont's D Day for replying. 

Life continued here peacefully. I got my first Airbnb reservation from Israeli guests. They would be coming the next day. It was a pity I wouldn't be there to receive them. But thankfully these days I'm pretty well organised and I send them an information pack and get Lucy to receive them. We would be having Italian guests at the end of the week. We have now had approximately 50 sets of guests. When I first started my Airbnb adventure in March, never would I have guessed that I would be receiving so many guests and from so many parts of the world. It's quite an adventure I can tell you. 

Suzy and I continued with our walks on Wednesday. But first I wanted to show her the new attractions in the village such as "La Fleita" fountain and bridge which was built about 2 summers ago. It was covered with Autumn leaves and is a lovely place to be. I couldn't show her the recently restored water mill as the the nettles on the path had grown  so much we would have been badly stung.

"La Fleita" fountain - Suzy sitting on the bench with her back to the camera

From the fountain and bridge we ambled across the village green known as "el campo" and greeted two men who are neighbours and who both have the same very unusual name of "Ulpiano" but are not even related.  We then walked up the mountains again to the birch tree forest (el abedular) before coming down to have lunch with Eladio who was glued to the TV. I had had enough of the Catalan crisis for the moment although it does worry me of course. 

Suzy and I would go for another walk in the afternoon, this time to Murias and back past the beautiful fields outside the village where Manolo's cows and bulls pasture.

On our walk to Murias past Manolo's cows and bulls. 

That day we walked about 12km, according to my fitbit. In fact that has been about my average here every day.  

Thursday 12th October was the Spanish national day, also called El Pilar. There would be big military parades in Madrid presided over by the King. Spaniards are not very good at being openly patriotic or proud of their country and the Spanish flag often has negative connotations. However, after the illegal referendum and crisis in Catalonia there has been a surge in national pride which I think is a good thing. What marred the day though, was the death of the pilot of a Euro fighter jet which crashed near its base after returning from the parade. What an awful thing to happen. 

There would be festive events all over Spain including nearby Villablino, where the annual fair, called "La Feriona" is held. I had been once and was keen to take Suzy and Eladio to see it and enjoy it as it's a great event. It consists mostly of a huge market with the usual made-in-china goods but it also has lots of local farming products and tools as well as food stalls which come mostly from the nearby northern provinces of Galicia and Asturias. It's very typical to eat "pulpo" (octopus) and we would have bought some to bring home but just one paltry ration cost 13 euros so we decided against the "pulpo" and bought a home made vegetable pie and home made cakes instead. Suzy and Eladio were particularly attracted to the pen knives which come from a town called Taramundi in Galicia. Eladio has a special fascination with both pen knives and walking sticks and here he was in his element.

Eladio and Suzy at La Feriona - here looking at pen knives 

People come from all over the province to visit the fair and spend the day there. We got to Villablino nice and early to avoid the crowds and also because we had to leave early, around midday, as some of Eladio's family were coming for lunch to Montrondo that day. It was cold when we got there and poor Suzy hadn't brought a jumper so she just had to buy the shawl she is wearing in the picture below.

Suzy enjoying being at the annual fair in Villablino. 

For me, at least, the most interesting part was the livestock market. Here we saw prize horses, ponies, cows, bulls, "mastines" (Leonese Spanish mastiff dog) as well as lots of different types of game. Eladio said it used to be much bigger and remembered his Father going there to sell cows. They would have done so on foot from Montrondo!

One of the cows on sale at the livestock market at the Villablino Fair on Thursday

We would have loved to spend the whole day but at midday had to leave. Once home, Eladio's family had arrived to spend the day. We all had lunch together, each family contributing food to the table. We then either slept a siesta or lounged in the sun. Later we all went for a walk which was to be via the "camino valle" up in the mountains and through a beautiful forest which stands high above Murias. Here we stopped for photos as it is not often Eladio is here with his brothers and sisters. Just two of them were missing. 

On the walk with Eladio's family on Thursday via "el camino valle"

I had drunk a bit of sparkling white wine on an empty stomach just before lunch that day which, unfortunately, gave me a huge headache. It completely knocked me out and I had to go to bed early to try and sleep and work it off as I was good for nothing but bed with such a big headache. It was not a good end to what had been a lovely day otherwise.

In St. Petersburg that night, my daughter Olivia was continuing discovering her Russian roots. That night she tried caviar for the first time and I have yet to hear whether she liked it or not. I maybe half Russian but I actually detest it.  She ate it the Russian way, accompanied by vodka hahaha.

Olivia trying caviar in St. Petersburg. 

I woke up on Friday 13th October with less of a headache thank goodness. I never touched a drop of alcohol after that during our stay here and have had to make do with water for meals. That morning Suzy was leaving us to spend the weekend in Jarandilla in the province of Cáceres with ex flat mates of the first house she lived in in London in Whitechapel. She would be taking the 12.20 high speed train and we were to drive her to Leon to catch it. However, just as I had finished my shower and was about to dry my hair, the electricity went. Eladio checked the electricity box and it seemed to be normal. What looked suspicious though was the mains which had no pilot light. We then embarked on trying to ring the company that serves electricity in this area which ended up being "Unión Fenosa". I finally found the right number to ring and after explaining what had happened, they sent us 2 technicians who would arrive later in the morning. That meant Eladio had to drive Suzy to León and I had to wait for the electricians. There was nothing I could do apart from read while I waited as without light you can't even cook which is very frustrating. They finally arrived at about 1 o'clock and soon fixed the fault in the mains which was apparently a loose cable. We wondered how it had become loose. Eladio was home just after they left and the electricity had been restored. 

I set about quickly making lunch which we would have at Eladio's sister's house, each of us contributing food to the table. 

As I was cooking, we got photos from Olivia from St. Petersburg. On Friday she was shooting at the Hermitage which also houses the Tsar's winter palace. The Hermitage is one of the world's best art galleries and from the picture I gather, to quote a cousin of mine, Olivia was completely overwhelmed by it. I was too when I went there.

Oli at the Hermitage on Friday

Suzy, meanwhile, was on the train, on her way to Madrid. The journey is just 2 hours. Here she is on the train looking relaxed and unstressed after a happy time in the village with her parents.  

Suzy on the train returning to Madrid on Friday morning

I would miss her as I lay on one of the sunbeds that afternoon after lunch and so would Pippa. I would also miss her on my walks. Eladio came with me on a walk to Murias and back that afternoon, although I would have preferred a longer walk.  We came back to prepare dinner where we would be joined by Eladio's sister and husband. She made a wonderful Spanish omelet "tortilla" which was made entirely of home sourcedmaterials; their potatoes and onions and her daughter's red peppers and free range eggs. It was delicious. 

We later watched the news together. I was shocked at images of the dreadful fires raging in California with so many people dead and so many houses burnt. We are used to forest fires here in Spain but they are nearly always in the countryside or mountain areas and hardly ever burn people's houses. 

Olivia was having dinner of course that night again in St. Petersburg. What was different about hers was that she was being invited free to a dinner at one of the city's top restaurants, "Percorso". She had interviewed the owner and he in turn had offered her a free dinner at his amazing restaurant. The food looked divine. Lucky Oli. 

Yesterday, on Saturday morning, I was up late for me, at 7 am. And I was delighted to see from a notification on my phone that I had been elevated to "super host" status on Airbnb. Wow, that made me feel very proud. To get it you have to have hosted at least 10 trips in a year, maintain a 90% response rate, receive a 5-star review at least 80% of the time as well as complete all reservations without cancelling. I would have been given super host status long ago if I hadn't cancelled my very first reservation because of a silly mistake in my advert. But now I have it and hope to keep it. One of the benefits is that advert gets more prominence and of course guests prefer to stay at homes run by super hosts like me hahaha.

Lovely to hear I had awarded super host status from Airbnb on Saturday

If you ever want to stay and this is directed at readers, not friends, here is the advert of our house on Airbnb. We would love to have you.

The day started with breakfast with Eladio, always my favourite meal of the day. Well it is here as instead of the gruel type porridge I eat in Madrid, in Montrondo I have toast for breakfast. 

My thoughts were then on the next meal of course, hahaha. I had a tray of 4 chicken drumsticks in the fridge, nearly the last of the provisions we had bought at Gadis and I wondered what to do with them. In the end I made a sort of "coq au vin". I gently fried chopped onion and garlic with the chicken then put in chopped carrots and red peppers and added vegetable water stock.  I also added a generous amount of white wine and placed all the precooked ingredients in the oven to make a casserole. I would serve it with thick home made crisps. This is the finished dish before we ate it of course.

My coq au vin which I made on Saturday for lunch

With lunch prepared I was free to go on my morning walk. I took Pippa and we went all the way to Senra and back. I missed Suzy when I had a cup of coffee there. Montrondo was looking lovely in the morning sun with its autumn colours, on my last full day in the village.

The view of the village from the old path to Murias on my walk on Saturday morning

We were back early enough for me to start making more bread. I had run out of flour from Madrid but had ordered some from the local bakery in Murias. They only have white wheat flour and rye so I used both. I experimented by using kefir instead of water and included a tablespoon of honey and a tablespoon of olive oil in the 350m of liquid. I also added pumpkin seeds.  It was the first time I have made bread using plain white flour and the dough certainly rose more than usual thanks to this I think. This is what my 2 lovely loaves looked like. I should add that I basted them both with whisked egg. In my mind this is the most delicious bread I have made so far. It's such fun experimenting. 

The wheat and rye bread I made on Saturday was delicious

We would have it for dinner with soup, leftover tortilla and a salad. For the salad we ate some of the beautiful home grown lettuce our neighbour, Toño, gave to Eladio that afternoon. That was so kind. I just love home grown produce from the village. It adds something special to meals; a bit or romance I think. 

A lovely lettuce from our neighours in Montrondo.

In the afternoon we had a visit from some of our family, Eladio's sister's son, his wife and their 2 delightful little girls. Hopefully we will see them again today before we leave.

Today is Sunday of course, our last day here. It has been a great stay made more special by spending part of it with our older daughter Suzy. Family is so important to me as I'm sure it is to you.

We will be leaving after lunch, heading home to see my Father, Lucy and the dogs. Let's see how next week will turn out to with a special emphasis on tomorrow, Monday, when Puigdemont has to respond to Rajoy. These are very tense times in Spanish politics and everyone is worried, those for independence and those against it. I do not want to see a fractured Spain because if Catalonia separates, the next regions to clamor for independence will be The Basque Country and Galicia. That is not a good road map. 

So my friends I have reached the end of the tales of this week. I hope you have enjoyed reading them and wish you all  a great week ahead.

Cheers till next Sunday,

Masha.