RIP Julen, taxi driver strikes bring Madrid and Barcelona to a halt, Juan Gil wine from Jumilla, another chance meeting, a visit to the city, off to Montrondo and other stories.

Montrondo, Sunday 27th January 2019

In the heart of Madrid on Friday morning with Eladio - Puerta del Sol

Good morning friends and readers. I hope you've all had a good week. It has been cold here as it has  been in most of Spain. There has been lots of snow too but it never reached Madrid. It did reach Montrondo though this morning but only a tiny bit.  We came here yesterday and arrived to sunshine! However, snow is forecast here today so I am hoping for more. 

Last Sunday we had a respite from the bad weather. Andy, our Scottish lodger, braved it and went hiking in the mountains near El Escorial. We stayed at home. Oli was with us as she was still nursing her laryngitis and coping with a an awful cough. She wouldn't go back to work until Wednesday and hated being cooped up. I felt a bit cooped up all week too, despite our large house, as we haven't had a change of scenery since November when we went to our pad near Alicante.

That day was another quiet day at home, reading, having nice meals, going for our walk and spending time together. Oli did her French homework and I, being a bit lazier than her, left it for later. We went for a walk in the afternoon and had to take a different path to avoid the sheep or rather the shepherd dogs. We hardly saw anyone else. Despite the cold the sun was shining.

All day Sunday and for the rest of the week until the small hours of Saturday, the rescue continued for the 2 year old Spanish toddler Julen, with amazing machinery boring a parallel tunnel to the narrow one he had fallen down the previous Sunday. Time was against him.  I read that children are more resilient than adults and that he could probably survive up to a week and at a stretch to 10 days. The whole of Spain was praying for him. The efforts continued throughout the week in a race against time. The terrain and rock of the mountain produced obstacles the whole time and slowed down the process. Finally on Friday the team of elite rescue miners and specialised Civil guards went down a parallel tunnel which took heroic efforts to dig, to just 4 metres from where the toddler was supposed to be. From about 60 metres down they then had to manually build a horizontal tunnel to reach him. The rock was so hard they needed dynamite at least 4 times. Sadly, at 1.30 approximately on Saturday morning,  the dead little body of little Julen was found.  Most probably he died shortly after falling down the day he went missing. What  a terrible end to such a story of heroic efforts and solidarity from the whole of Spain. I cannot imagine how his parents who are now childless - they lost their other toddler a year ago to sudden death - will be able to carry on. What a tragedy. I was so sad to hear the news when I woke up yesterday morning, as I, like the rest of Spain was hoping against hope for a a miracle to happen. I feel for the family but I also feel for the huge rescue team who have worked non stop ever since the little boy's fall down that fatal tunnel, in the hope that the little boy could be rescued. RIP Julen. You will never be forgotten.

The first miners to go down on Thursday

But back to the beginning of the week. Monday came and guess what? It was blue Monday, equaling the most depressing day of the year. I wanted to know why it was called that and looked it up. Here is the answer from  Google: "Blue Monday is a name given to a day in January claimed to be the most depressing day of the year. The concept was first publicised as part of a press release from the holiday company Sky Travel which claimed to have calculated the date using an equation".

I got through Blue Monday ok, did you?

It didn't seem particularly blue to me although January is never my favourite month. I am just waiting for warmer weather. It snowed in many parts of Spain on that day but not in Madrid which is very rare indeed although it does happen.

There was no Monday fruit and veg market in Villaviciosa as it was  a local holiday in honour of St. Sebastian. We were running out of all the produce we had purchased there the Monday before but would leave the fresh produce shopping until Tuesday. It would be difficult to decide between the new supermarket, BM and Carrefour Market.

I spent part of the morning revising, editing and continuing with my Father's biography. I finished the Cambridge years, the years in Lincolnshire and finally got to when we went to live in Yorkshire in about 1964. I remember being 7 when we arrived and what a change.  When it's finished I shall share it here on my blog, chapter by chapter. I also have to search for photos for all the different stages of his life; not an easy task as they are mostly old and in black and white. Here is one of them with the famous Dame Elizabeth Hill, the Professor and Head of Slavonic Studies at Cambridge University, aka "Lisa" in 1955 at someone's wedding in Cambridge. I got this photo from the Secret Classrooms book but I know we have the original somewhere so I shall search for it.

My parents with Lisa Hill in Cambridge in 1955

It was difficult to concentrate though as when I am writing I have to have no interruptions and be in complete silence. That is why I am taking so long and can now understand why writers need to be on their own to write. I know the feeling.

The highlight of the morning was talking to Suzy via a whatsapp video call. She and her friend Chati who went out to live with her this month are now sharing a new house together with another Spanish lodger. I love the house. It's in the typical Balinese style and the lounge and kitchen are sort of outside but covered. As we spoke they were in the middle of a rain fall. It is the rainy season there. Between the two of them they pay approximately 150 euros per month for lodging which includes all utility bills as well as a cleaning lady who does their washing too as well as their shopping, the latter for a tiny tip of under a euro! No wonder they don't want to come back to Spain.

I stopped for lunch  with Oli, Eladio and my Father. It was served by two Lucy's that day haha. I think I told you last week that Lucy our Paraguayan carer is leaving for her country at the end of the month. Her replacement, also called Lucy, came back with her on Sunday night and will be learning the ropes for the next 10 days or so. She seems very nice. She's also quite tall and strong so is able to push my Father's wheel chair up the path to the house so he can join us for meals.

There is not much else of interest to tell you about Monday. Well there is something but not sure it will come to fruition. I got a call from my modelling/acting agency. They want me to feature in a promotional video for some medicine made by the pharmaceutical company Lilly. They wanted a native English speaker from the UK so I seem to fit the bill. I told them my fees and they have to come back to me. If it happens, shooting will be on 31st of this month where I will be involved in a simulated doctor's appointment. It sounds fun. If it does happen it will be a first. I just wonder what medicine it is. Hope it's not for something embarrassing people in their "golden age" might need hahaha. Watch this space.

On the news scene, the rescue efforts for Julen,  continued. The whole of Spain was waiting with baited breath while it happened. I have to admit that every now and again I checked for news of the progress constantly on my phone that day and all week. We all wished for a happy ending and still had hope until the end but it wasn't to be. The other news in Spain that day were the big taxi strikes in Barcelona and Madrid against Uber and Cabify and the new right wing government taking office in Andalusia. Around the world, Theresa May was supposed to have presented a Plan B to the Brexit deal but that didn't happen. In the USA government block down continued while yet another caravan of people left Honduras for the "promised land". Meanwhile in an area near the border, 4 American women were convicted for leaving water for migrants. In what world do we live in when a person  cannot quench the thirst of a fellow human being?

We got through Blue Monday and Tuesday came. It was a very grey and cloudy day, damp and wet too at times. I braved the weather to go and buy our enormous weekly supply of fruit and vegetables. It's amazing how cheap oranges are now, about 1 euro for a kilo and they are huge and juicy. It is the season for oranges so yes they should be cheap but maybe not that much. If they cost a euro in the supermarket I wonder what the fruit growers earn? Probably so little it's not worth the effort. I heard later on the news that there is fierce competition from South African as well as a surplus, leaving many of the oranges rotting on trees. What a pity.

My day perked up a lot when I bought a return ticket to Brussels for the beginning of March. Adele, Sandra and I, my bosom Nottingham Uni friends,  will be having a lovely girly weekend at Sandra's place, just the 3 of us. We had been planning it for quite a while but it wasn't until this week that we finally chose and agreed on the dates.  Roll on March.

In Madrid the taxi strike continued and threatened to bring to a halt one of Spain's biggest exhibitions, "Fitur", an international tourism fair opening the next day. The strike was alarming, violent and the  taxi drivers more or less took the city hostage, blocking roads to the Ifema Exhibition halls and Madrid airport.  It was a similar story in Barcelona. Some 80 or so Uber and Cabify cars were damaged violently by the taxi drivers which is unacceptable. No violence please, this is Spain.

Taxi drivers blocking the main ring road outside Madrid this week

They are fighting against the likes of Uber and Cabify. Their main demand is for the hire of the latter to be 15 minutes before pick up and not immediate. In negotiations with the local government in Barcelona this was increased to one hour and conceded to by the latter.  Uber's and other's response was to announce they would have to stop working in the city of Barcelona. I sincerely think the taxi drivers have a lot to learn from the likes of Uber who are far more efficient. I also think, like in many other cities, they can live alongside each other.  It would be so easy for taxi drivers to compete by copying Uber's success factors by developing a similar app. Why don't they? That would be far more constructive than all this violence and their tantrums. In this new sharing economy, we all have to adapt and embrace change. It's as if book shops went on strike because of Amazon. Don't taxi drivers order stuff on Amazon? They should learn.  The image of the two cities this week has been severely damaged by the strikes with scenes of people walking to the airport on the M40 carrying their luggage or burning containers on the streets.  One thing is demonstrating which we all have a right to do, another is taking a city hostage with violence which none of us has a right to do. They do not have my sympathy.

Thankfully I was at home all day so didn't have to suffer the effects of the strikes. The rest of the day went by normally and according to routine.

There would be no transport problem in Davos, Switzerland, that day as the wealthy and the mighty of the world arrived by private jet to that skiing paradise to discuss the worlds' problems and I suppose to maintain their status quo and riches.

Funnily enough Oli's very last programme with Madrileños por el Mundo that was broadcast that night was about Switzerland. Zurich had been her last destination in her time with the travel show. It was on at 22.30 and we watched it eagerly.

Oli presenting her very last programme with Madrileños por el Mundo a travel show

I knew Switzerland is a rich country of course, but was a bit amazed to learn that the average monthly salary is 5000 euros, 5 times more than in Spain. Ok everything is more expensive there but 5 times seems too much. For sure the worlds' wealth is so divided. It's an unfair life that the people in Davos are not going to solve. Jesus famously said "the poor will always be with us" but such a difference in wealth is rather sickening don't you think? I heard on Tuesday that a banker, the ex head of the Spanish bank, BBVA, Francisco González  got or would get a golden handshake of 80 million euros when he retired.  Meanwhile, pensioners in Spain are demonstrating peacefully for the average pension to be around 1000 euros per month.  In Spain the divide between the rich and the poor has increased since the crisis began in 2008. A recent study showed the average annual income in one of Spain's richest corners, "La Moraleja" in Madrid is around 113.000 euros  while that of an area in Elche in South East Spain (Carrus) is just 13.000; 100.000 euros less!!  This increasing wealth gap here in Spain and all over the world is the wrong way to go and just not fair. How to get around it? Pretty easy actually, tax the rich more and don't tax the poorer earners.

We loved Oli's programme on Switzerland which you can see here. It's not a country I know well and Eladio has never been there, so maybe we should add it to our bucket list. Our bucket list is endless.

A still from Oli's last programme for Madrileños por el Mundo - Switzerland

The programme ended late and it was straight to sleep after that. I woke up on Wednesday morning at around 6.30, not bad and started my day quietly in the kitchen making my breakfast and surrounded by our dogs, as always.

On Wednesday morning our order of Juan Gil wine from the Chilines Winery in Jumilla arrived. We discovered this wine through Oli's boyfriend Miguel a while ago and when we were returning from Santa Pola in November made a detour to Jumilla to buy some from the shop he recommended. Since them we have fallen in love with it, so much so, I made an order for 12 bottles which arrived that morning. I bought 6 of the 18 month blue label for 16.44 euros a bottle when you normally find it at around 22 euros and 6 of the 12 month silver label for just 7.36 when it is often priced at much more. I also read Juan Gil is such a discovery that demand has rocketed and now there is a real shortage of it.

You've got to try this wine.

If you are Spanish no doubt you will have heard of the Jumilla wine growing area in Murcia. If you are not you you are probably only familiar with Rioja and maybe Ribera del Duero. Well, these days, there are many more wine growing regions in Spain which produce just as good wine. I challenge you to try Juan Gil wine and tell me what you think. I had to share it on the Vivino app and I was happy to see it already had some very good write ups. I can't drink much wine as it gives me a headache but I am happy that my Father and Eladio can enjoy a glass for lunch every day.

That morning Eladio and I visited El Corte Inglés department store, Spain's only one really and it is as good as any of the best in other countries. We hadn't been there for a while and walking around through the perfume area with the wonderful wafts coming from the mixed fragrances of all the  different perfumes on sale, the whole place oozed luxury and consumption. My daughter Suzy has become more and more against it, but not me yet I'm afraid. I was bit awed when I saw Tesla electric cars on sale and Eladio and I glimpsed inside one as if looking at the future. We could have bought a drone there too and seeing so many things the product of new technology I reflected on how much the world has developed since I walked into my first Corte Inglés to spend my first week's salary as a student in Madrid back in 1978. We had a few things to do, one of them being exchanging the odd Christmas present. With the return voucher I bought a 128 giga memory card for my Samsung Galaxy S9 plus as my 64 giga card was nearly out of memory. Once home, after copying the photos from the old card onto an external disc I was gutted to find that the new card was defect. It had no capacity whatsoever. That meant I would have to go back and get another one. What a bore. We had a coffee afterwards at Starbucks for an astonishing 7 euros which is very expensive for Spain. Eladio was outraged at the rip off and I suppose he is right.

Another regretted purchase that day was when I signed up for a new streaming service called Acorn TV. Acorn TV, dubbed the Netflix for British viewers, had been targeting me for weeks online as a potential customer. Interested, as I miss British TV and there is not much of it on Netflix or Prime Video, I took the bait. So I signed up, gave all my payment details and downloaded the App on my iPad. I signed up for a 7 day free trial and was told I could cancel the subscription which costs about 5 euros a month, at any time before the end of the trial period. Ok I thought, let's have a look at the content. It totally disappointed me. There was hardly anything, very few good series or films.  Thus I decided to cancel and there began my kafkian nightmare. You can't cancel from the app which says you must manage your account from the web. So I went to the web. There I couldn't log in which was frustrating. Thus I went to their help page - no number to call of course - and was redirected to a page  called Roku where I was told to register. It didn't look like it had anything to do with Acorn TV so I didn't register. Instead I returned to the Acorn TV site and tried again. I even tried resetting the password but I still couldn't log in. I began to suspect it was deliberately impossible to cancel the subscription and had to resort to social media. That, my friends, is the only way to get good or any sort of customer service these days. After a few tweets and posts from me, I had an email from the head of customer service from the whole company, which is from the US, not the UK by the way, as well as direct messages from their US community manager. Their website and cancellation process may be sh** but I have to say their online customer service is great. In the end the CM, after many apologies,  cancelled my subscription, promising she would tell the product team about my unfortunate experience  and offering me a free 6 month subscription which I took up. Many companies these days entice you to sign up for services which you can't see until  you give your payment details. Then they make it extremely difficult for you to cancel. At one stage I was so worried this was a scam and that my card details had been robbed on internet, I nearly rang the bank to cancel my card. These days, too, you have to be very careful giving your bank details on internet. On Wednesday I  also learned something I already knew: if you have a customer service problem, forget emails and phone calls, go to twitter. Amazingly, the next day I got a call from their PR Agency in Spain to apologise profusely presumably because they knew who I was from my social media profiles.  It was very nice to get the call but I wonder if they would have called anyone else in trouble

While all this was happening and I was on my walk, my daughter Oli was attending the Fitur tourism fair which the King and Queen of Spain visited, despite the huge taxi demonstrations outside that continued all day. Most visitors had to go by metro as the taxi drivers had blocked the roads to the exhibition centre. Later we watched Oli and her report on Fitur. Here is a picture of her by the Catalonia stand.

Oli reporting from Fitur on Wednesday

The taxi demonstrations and the Fitur exhibition were big items on the news that day, as were, of course,  the continued efforts to rescue  Julen. On the international front, the biggest news, in my mind, came from Venezuela where people took to the streets to protest against the "dictatorship of Maduro". The leader of the opposition, the 35 year old Juan Guadió declared himself interim President of Venezuela. Donald Trump immediately backed him as did leaders of several Latin American countries. No doubt over the next few days we would see how things would develop in troubled Venezuela where people are deprived of the most basic things in life to survive. I was worried there would be a bloodshed. On the other hand I want to see Maduro removed as fast as possible and wish for a happy future for the Venezuelans. The latest update from the EU, from Spain, France, Germany and the UK is an ultimatum to Maduro to call elections otherwise they will recognise Guaido's leadership. He won't do that, I'm sure and even if he does, could we trust him to hold democratic elections? No.

Later in the day, with no Airbnb guests around - Javier and Alba would arrive on Thursday - Eladio and I had a quiet and healthy dinner in our big kitchen and then went to bed. That night, after the news, we watched the 1993 film Sommersby with a young Richard Gere and Jodie Foster. I liked it but didn't like the end.

On Thursday my pulse or legume bag arrived. This is a great little kitchen invention I had seen on a TV programme with a far left politician, Iñigo Errejón, who made a "cocido madrileño" and where I saw him using this bag to keep the chickpeas  separate from the rest of the food. I wanted one but it wasn't easy to find online but I did on a site called Hiperchef. I can't wait to use it. It cost about 2 euros and transport was three times the price hahaha.

My new legume bag

That morning we went on more errands. First we took Eladio's or my old Nokia Volvo car of 14 or so years to have part of the chassis mended. From there we went to El Corté Inglés to return my defect memory card. I got my money back rather than a new card because that morning, after prompting from a friend, I saw that the very same card on Amazon cost 40 euros less. If The Corte Inglés Starbucks' coffee is expensive, their memory cards are downright robbery.

On our way back we stopped at the bank and that was when we had a chance meeting from the past. We saw an neighbour from our old house in Parque Boadilla, Inés, the mother of Beatriz who was in Suzy's class at St. Michael's school. Many an afternoon was spent at Ines' house with the girls when they were young and Inés and I got on very well. I remember her making Halloween outfits for them which I wasn't able to do. Inés and her husband Fernando, a computer freak who used to drive me into Madrid to work before I passed my test, still live at their house which is just across the road from the school. It was great to bump into her. I had to have a photo  to share the lovely moment, of course. We have now exchanged phone numbers and hopefully will meet soon for a coffee and a lovely natter about the past. Lovely to see you Inés.

Chance meeting with Inés, the mother of the girls' friend and neighbour from the past

While we were out, Rafa Nadal was playing the young Greek tennis player, Tsitsipas in the Australian Open semi final. 20 year old Tsitsipas, now a Greek hero in his country with no tradition of tennis, had beaten Federer earlier and seems to be the promise of the future. However, Nadal was on such form that day that he won in 3 straight sets 6-2 6-4 6-0. Tsitsipas said later at the press conference that Rafa Nadal had a talent for making other players play badly. Ever the gentleman, Nadal had only good words for his rival who was feeling very down after losing. Nadal will play the final on Sunday. If he wins, it will be his second time. He won there 10 years ago. If he wins too, that means he would be the only player in recent times to win all grand slams twice, breaking yet another record. The Times asked the other day if Nadal was Spain's best sportsman ever. He may well be but he is also Spain's best ambassador in my mind.

Nadal after thrashing Tsitsipas on Thursday 

Today he will be playing the number one seed Djokovic who seems on equal form after thrashing another youngster, the French player Lucas Pouille  6-0 6-2 6-2 on Friday.  The latter said afterwards that the Serb was "the best in the world". Well today we shall see who that is although both Nadal and Djokovic are pretty much equal rivals. Novak Djokovic, who at 31 is just one year younger than Rafa Nadal, could win his 7th Australian Open or Nadal his 2nd. But overall the Spaniard has won more grand slams (17 to 14) than the Serb. Djokovic though is the favourite as the Australian Open court is a hard court, his favourite surface. Rafa's is clay like the court at Roland Garros, the Grand Slam he was won 11 times.  All I can say is may the best man win, although my heart is with Rafa.

Thursday was a lovely sunny day in Madrid in contrast to the north of Spain where there was snow and also lots of flooding. On our way out of the house to go on our walk, the 2 Lucy's were returning from theirs. So let me introduce you to them. Lucy 1 (the smaller woman) will be leaving at the end of this month and Lucy 2 will be replacing her. I don't think I realise how much we are going to miss Lucy. I will be very sad when I say goodbye.

The 2 Lucy's

While we were on our walk, Oli had traveled to an area in the north of Burgos called Las Merindades, to a town called Villacarayo where there had been severe flooding after the River Nalon had overflowed. Later we would see her reporting live from there on TV.

Olivia reporting live from the province of Burgos on Thursday

From our comfortable home we watched her on TV. That night too we watched the "box" this time using the Movistar Plus app which comes with the fixed telephone monthly package but which we haven't used much. We wanted to compare it to Netflix and Amazon Prime and yes it has some good content. We started watching an exclusive new series called "El Embarcadero". Ironically, the fiber connection provided by Movistar was not good enough so in the end we had to connect to my Yoigo mobile phone. That's really ironic I must say. The series, made by the same people who made the very successful series "the house of paper" promises to be nearly as good. We watched 2 episodes that night.

Friday came and we had to go into Madrid to get Suzy's criminal records. She needs them for her online teaching lessons to Chinese children. The story of getting them is a story of its own and a bit of a nightmare too, a bit like Acorn TV. Eladio had ordered the certificate online more than a month ago and paid over a hundred euros when later we found out it costs just under 4. It was a scam company he ordered it from. They never sent the certificate and after much pressure from us, finally an envelope arrived with no letter head and with only the forms filled out to request the certificate. Thus I got an appointment to get the damned certificate personally and that's what took us to Madrid that morning. We were to obtain it from an office belonging to the Ministry of Justice in the Calle de la Bolsa street, just off the heart of the city and country, La Puerta del Sol. It was a glorious and sunny day. We left the car at the station and took the metro to Plaza de España. From there we got to Sol. Our appointment was at 11.10 but we were early so went to have a cup of coffee at delightful old establishment, Chocolateria de La Puerta del Sol. I would have far preferred the chocolate and churros but had a coffee and ate an apple I had brought from home. Here  I am enjoying my coffee.

Coffee in the centre of Madrid on Friday morning

The process for obtaining the certificate turned out to be so easy, we regretted not going there at Christmas when Suzy was here. In any case, a few minutes after our punctual appointment, we left holding the precious document which Eladio later scanned and sent to Suzy.

From Calle de la Bolsa we walked back to our metro stop at Sol but stopped to admire perhaps Madrid's most iconic square. It is from the famous clock in this square that New Years Eve is celebrated. Feeling a bit like a tourist, I took some photos and also got a young girl to take one of Eladio and I in front of the clock. It is the one I have chosen to illustrate this week's post.

The journey back was quick and there was time to go home, pick up my shopping list and supermarket bags and go to Mercadona for the basics weekly shopping.

With our lunch we had red cabbage. My Father remarked my Russian born Mother used to call it "blue cabbage". It is in fact more purple than blue and I wonder why it's called "red". This is the delicious dish of this unique cabbage which Lucy had made after I showed her my recipe.

The red or rather purple cabbage we had with our lunch on Friday

We had decided we would go to Montrondo that afternoon but in the end had to postpone leaving until yesterday morning. That was because we had to wait for the central heating oil to come and by then it was a little late. While Eladio attended to the very modern boiler we had to get last year, I went off on my walk with Pippa alone. I couldn't believe it was so sunny and warm - 17ºc . That's amazing for January. Here I am happy in the sun in January on Friday afternoon.

A sunny walk on Friday

Later I watched Oli who was still in the province of Burgos, reporting on the floods in Villacarayo. Then it was time for dinner and up to our quarters to watch the news. Afterwards we binge watched 2 more episodes of "El Embarcadero" on Movistar Plus TV. Wow it's good and I am loving it. We didn't switch off the light until past midnight and the next morning, the day of our departure, I was awake at 6 am.

With all the preparations, we didn't leave until about 10.30. Our first and only stop would be in Rueda - the famous Spanish white wine growing area in the province of Valladolid - and here, faithful to tradition, we went to the Palacio de Bornos winery. Mariano, the head of the establishment, greeted us and made us feel at home. Soon two glasses of white wine - sauvignon blanc for Eladio and verdejo for me - a plate of ham and another one of fresh bread sprinkled with olive oil appeared on our table. I was in 7th heaven and so was Eladio as you can see in the photo below.

At the Palacio de Bornos winery in Rueda yesterday

It takes about 1.5h from Madrid to get to Rueda and for me a trip to Montrondo would not be the same without a stop at the wonderful Palacio de Bornos.

We got to Montrondo at about 3ish and arrived to brilliant sunshine. The only snow we could see was on the mountain tops. The house was already warm as Eladio had switched on the central heating remotely and soon we were settled in. We ate a bowl of left over bean stew we had brought with us although neither of was really hungry.

We had missed the news on the TV but of course I had followed it on my phone. I was very pleased to hear that day that Spain's best figure ice skater ever, 27 year old Javier Fernández had just won his 7th European title in Minsk. He has won all 7 titles in a row and also holds 2 world championship titles and is a revered figure in the ice skating world. It was to be his last competition as he recently announced his "retirement". I don't know why he is retiring so young but wow what a way to end his career and what a glittering career it has been too.  Well done Javier, well done Spanish sport yet again.

Javier Fernández, Spain's best figure ice skater ever winning his 7th consecutive European championship yesterday in Minsk

Eladio lit the fire to make the house warmer. He stayed by the fire to read while I went out for a walk with Pippa to Murias and back. I only met 2 villagers and they were from Murias not Montrondo. It was a lovely walk and I felt great being back in our village.

A view of  Montrondo on my walk yesterday

We had a light dinner and watched a bit of TV. We were both a bit tired and went to bed at 10 pm. Now that is early isn't it?

This morning I woke up at 6.20 but had had 8 hours sleep. I woke up to snow, just a bit though. I sincerely hope we get more during the rest of the day.

And now my friends, I have reached the end of the tales of this week. Next week you will hear all about our stay here in the village, the perfect place "to get away from it all". All the best till next Sunday,

Cheers Masha

Fight to rescue boy in a well, preparations for my Father's 100th birthday, Brexit D Day, my 10 year photo challenge, my top 10 films and other stories.

Sunday 20th January, 2019 

My 10 year photo challenge. Photos of us and me in circa 2008/2009 and 10 years later. It's been a great 10 years!

Good morning friends and readers.

How has your week been? Have you had the January blues? Mine are over, just as Christmas is  and I've got used to it.

The week has been a quiet one. Last Sunday was not so quiet as the house was full of guests. That morning Alba and Javi left although they would be back this week again. Leslie and his partner Maria, from the Philippines, left too. And then just before lunch, our lovely guests from Portsmouth, Bob and Angela arrived for the night. It was great to see them again.

I spent the morning slow cooking stuffed peppers the Russian way or rather the way I think  my Mother used to make them. It's one  of my Father's favourite dishes; mine too. This was the result.

Stuffed peppers the Russian way

If you're interested this is how you make them. The filling is poached onion, tomato and grated carrot mixed with raw minced meat, preferably beef, a small portion of cooked rice, salt, pepper, fresh parsley and coriander. For nine "bell peppers" I used 1kg of minced meat.  If you're not into meat you can replace it with more vegetables. You slice the peppers at the stem and remove the pips and membrane and fill them with the stuffing putting the tops back on. The sauce is the remainder of the poached vegetables to which you add vegetable stock and more tomato. You then can then either bake them in an oven which takes forever or in a saucepan. They are served with "smetana" (sour cream) which I can't get here so I use  thick natural yoghurt to which I add lemon juice, dill, salt and pepper. And voilá you have a wonderful winter dish which is also very healthy and not too filling.

We slept off the stuffed peppers after which we went for our customary walk. While we were out, our guests, Angela and Bob, feeling very much at home, spent the time, believe it or not, in the sun on the terrace outside. Talk about "mad dogs and Englishmen" hahaha. I suppose they wanted to get the last rays of sunshine before going back to dark and cold England.

It was a lovely walk in the sun with crisp weather. Just before sunset there was such a special light  I had to have a photo of Eladio and Pippa together. Here they are, both looking gorgeous.

Eladio and Pippa on our walk last Sunday

The day ended with with us enjoying a quiet dinner in the kitchen. That night we made omelets from "blue eggs" to be found at Carrefour Market. They cost more than double the normal ones but are supposed to have more nutrients than others. They come from special hens or so-called "happy hens" who run run and eat freely. I must say the yolks were extremely yellow and the omelet tasted delicious. Have you tried "blue eggs"? Maybe they are just a fad or a complete con but I have to say the taste was amazing.

Later we watched the news. The story of a toddler aged 2 who had fallen down a very narrow well 150 metres deep in a village in Málaga disturbed me a lot. It would be very difficult to rescue him and I can only imagine the pain of the parents.  This whole week has been a race against time to rescue "Julen", something unimaginably difficult.  The diameter of the hole is just 15 inches (25cm) so no adult can get down it. Whoever the uncovered well belongs to will be in terrible trouble and will probably feel guilty for life. Who wouldn't? It turns out the well belongs to a relative of the parents who is now being questioned by the police. He swears he had covered the hole. So who opened it again and why?

The diameter of the entrance to the well, little Yulen fell into last Sunday

I cannot begin to imagine the pain of his parents already traumatised by the loss of Julen's older brother who died a year ago or so aged 3, suddenly walking by a beach. How terrible that must be for the parents. If they lose Julen too and they most probably will because he is probably trapped under tons of earth, what sort of life will they have after losing both their children?  Losing a child is the worst thing that can happen to a parent, so imagine losing two. If that happened to me I know I wouldn't want to carry on living. 

There was more news of the "Spanish tourist" who died in the terrible gas explosion in the centre of Paris last weekend. It was Laura's first trip on an airplane and her first trip abroad. From a small town in Toledo, she was a shop assistant and had 3 children. She had never had a holiday with her husband, Luis Enrique,  without the kids. It was Luis Enrique who planned the surprise romantic getaway together. Who could have imagined this most terrible outcome?

Our day ended watching more episodes of the tense thriller series "You are wanted".  I slept well that night, with no sign of my cough thank goodness. I even woke up "late" for me on Monday morning at 6.55; hurray!

Monday was another sunny and fine day. When my Father first came to live with us, he always said January was his favourite month because of the sunshine and the cooler temperature. Besides, the days are now getting longer and it is daylight until nearly 7 pm. That is one of the good things about living in Spain for all those moaners here who complain about their own country hahaha.

On Monday morning we duly visited the weekly fresh fruit and vegetable market in Villaviciosa de Odón to stock up for the week. You should see my list, it's endless. If you are interested this is what I buy from my favourite stall or rather what I bought last Monday: potatoes, melon, pumpkin, courgettes, carrots, leeks, cauliflower, red cabbage, broccoli, miniature peppers, bananas, oranges, mandarins, golden delicious apples, cooking apples, onions, artichokes, asparagus, tomatoes, spring onion, avocados, mangoes, lettuce, coriander, parsley, mushrooms, spinach, garlic and grapes. I had to forget something of course. I always do and this week it was kiwis. That's quite a list isn't it? Well, you see, we try to get our daily ration of 30 grammes of fiber and 4 or 5 rations of fruit and veg  and this way we manage it. I only cook from scratch and avoid any processed food. Pretty healthy right?  Lunch that day would be home made pumpkin soup, leftover stuffed peppers with steamed artichokes and baked apple for desert for the men. I prefer freshly cut fruit cocktail.

With all that in our stomachs, we watched the news followed by a short siesta. Later we went on our daily walk and coming back we both commented just how important it was for our health, as much as our fruit and veg diet. But don't worry I am not radical when it comes to healthy eating  or anywhere near being a vegetarian. I still love my meat even though it is pretty much frowned upon these days. 

It was then time for my doctor's appointment to see lovely Dr. Crespo to get  my bi monthly prescription for my sleeping tablets. That night I heard on the news that people who get 6 or less hours sleep a night are more likely to have a higher level of cholesterol and thus are more at a risk of heart failure.  I have fractured sleep and am certainly in that category of people who don't sleep enough. Not good I'm afraid. Hopefully, my short naps at siesta time make up for lack of sleep at night.  Doctors here have lots of time for their patients and that day, Doctor Crespo and I had a long chat about Brexit. He was amazed I hadn't been allowed to vote (because I have lived outside the UK for more than 15 years). We also spoke about the impact on health for Britons travelling in Europe after Brexit and I told him just how good I think the Spanish health system is and that people who complain about it here have no idea what they are complaining about.

I was home on time for our fruit and veg dinner; tuna salad with lettuce, tomatoes, asparagus, spring onion, pumpkin seeds and avocado, washed down by gazpacho and followed by 2 small tangerines. We love our meals together in the kitchen at night on our own. No Airbnb guests were around that night. Later on the TV there was more news of the toddler in the well or rather no news as they had not found him, just dug down about half way and come to what looked like soil and rock. My heart bled for his family. I just can't imagine myself in that situation. It is the worst possible nightmare for any parent. The main news of course was all about the Brexit deal vote in the Commons this week. What a mess. In Spain, the main political news was about the 2019 budget proposed by the minority socialist government, led by Pedro Sánchez. Like Teresa May, he is seeking approval from the other parties and is dependent on the Catalan and Basque independent parties. The former will only give him support if he makes concessions to their plea for independence. Thus we have a deadlock situation. Meanwhile, in the US of A, Donald Trump's government continues to be in deadlock and it's because of a budget too. He wants it to include funding for his stupid wall with Mexico which thankfully the Democrats oppose. So, with no agreement, the budget can't go forward and the government is more or less at a standstill. As you see, lots of similar problems in the UK, Spain and the US. 

The day ended watching a couple of episodes from Season 2 of You are Wanted which actually we are getting a bit tired of. 

Tuesday came and I spent a large part of the morning doing something I have been meaning to do for a while and that is start the procedure for my Father to receive his 100th birthday card from the Queen of England. If he lived in the UK it would be straightforward as the Buckingham Palace office would receive notification from the Pensions Office and he would get the card with no hassle. However, as he lives abroad the procedure is more difficult. To start off with, it is impossible to call the number at B.P from a Spanish phone. Thus I downloaded the form to apply for the card online. In order to apply, it seems I need to prove his citizenship which seems very odd as the Pensions office know all about him. Thus I had to speak to the Registry Office  to apply for his birth certificate. This will allow me to apply online but I can only do so 3 weeks before the event, on 1st May 2019. On the phone to the Registry Office I had to give his birth details as well as the details of his parents, my grandparents. Luckily I know their names and also the date and place of birth of my Father. I can hardly imagine there is more than one Charles Courtenay Lloyd born on 1st May 1919 in Tamworth.

After that bit of bureaucracy I got down to my main task, which was to start writing a short biography which his former school Bradford Grammar School have asked for. I am thinking also that I might send it to the local Bradford paper, The Telegraph and Argus when the time comes.  My friend Amanda and other friends have urged me to even contact the BBC as they think he has an amazing story to tell.  I suppose he has and I also think that a 100 year old WW2 veteran Navy Officer deserves some recognition, as, after all, there are very few of them left. Here is a photo of a small article published in a Bristol newspaper when he was awarded the Freedom Medal from King Haakon VII for "outstanding services in connection with the liberation of Norway". It is entitled "Henbury Honour", Henbury (near Bristol) being his home when his Father was the Vicar there.  

Little cutting from a Bristol paper about the medal my Father was awarded after WW2

Just to whet your appetite, here are  the opening lines of the biography: 

"Charles Courtenay Lloyd turns 100 on 1^st May 2019

Courtenay Lloyd, a linguist and former WW2 Royal Navy veteran officer who contributed to the liberation of Norway, is an old Cliftonian (went to Clifton College school in Bristol) graduated in German and Scandinavian languages at  Selwyn College Cambridge and was a teacher of spies, teacher of Russian at the RAF College in Cranwell and teacher of modern languages at Bradford Grammar School. He married a Russian princess (Her Serene Highness Elena Lieven) and had two children. His older son George, died of cancer in 2001. He left Bradford in 2005 to live in Madrid with his only living offspring, his daughter Masha, who is married to a Spaniard. Courtenay Lloyd is a polyglot who still speaks and reads in his native tongue, English, as well as in Russian, Norwegian, German, French and Spanish". 

I got as far as his Cambridge days, after his graduation and when he began to teach Russian, under the auspices of Dame Elizabeth Hill, the colourful Professor of Slavonic Studies, at the secret Joint Services School for Linguists (JSCL) founded in 1951 and dubbed by the Russians as the "spy school". It was there he met my Mother.  Dame Elizabeth Hill was to have much influence over my Father who would become her "first hand man" (her words) and  it was the Professor, commonly known as "Lisa", who was instrumental in the marriage of my parents or so I always assumed. There is actually a book about these courses called "The Secret Classrooms, an untold story of the cold war" written by former pupils Geoffrey Elliott and Harold Shukman in which both my parents are mentioned.  According to the book the "purpose of these courses was to produce linguists and interpreters of Russian for military and intelligence purposes", aka spying,

The book about the Joint Services School for linguists (the spy school) where my parents met and taught in Cambridge in the early 50's

Rereading what I have written above, I suppose my Father's story does have quite a lot to tell. I have to say I am enjoying writing his biography, only a few pages I am afraid as I have lots of gaps in my information and it is very difficult to talk to my dear Father in a proper sort of way these days as he is so hard of hearing. His memory is still there though, so I shall share the document with him when it is finished and hope to get some good feedback, corrections, etc. I am so looking forward to celebrating his 100th as I can only imagine he is too. Love you Daddy.

While I was having a quiet morning, Parliament at Westminster was in the throes of debate about Theresa May's deal for Brexit. It would go on all day until the actual voting was to happen. Tuesday this week was referred to as "Brexit D Day", a sort of culmination of the whole story since the referendum in 2016 and which can only be described as a pure shambles. At the end of the day, Theresa May did not get her way and the deal was voted against by a large majority, including 200 or so from her own party. So what would happen next? Jeremy Corbyn called for a vote of no confidence which he would not win  -amazingly TM is still being  backed by all members of the Conservative Government and the SUP. If she had lost, then a General Election would be called but that hasn't happened. So now what? With Mrs. May still in power, she will have to renegotiate with the EU.  That was her pledge or objective after winning the vote of no confidence and agreeing to working cross party to come up with a new deal. And will the the EU want to? Will the exit date of 29th March be postponed? Will there be another referendum?  I personally think Theresa May should step down but then what would the alternative be? These are all questions the papers and minds of the people are full of. So in a way it wasn't D Day at all on Tuesday, just the beginning of the end, or maybe not even that. Brexit will drag on for years in my view. And what the final outcome will be is anyone's guess.

Theresa May defeated in Parliament in the so-called D Day this Tuesday

My mind was on Brexit for most of the day but I got on with my life. Lunch was a nice break and very healthy - more vegetables. That day I made baked peppers and red cabbage - Suzy would have approved haha. Suzy, by the way, moved into her new house in Bali on Tuesday with her friend Chati and another Spaniard. The place looks lovely. I do hope there is room for us to stay. That would be nice wouldn't it? 

Oli was busy too on Tuesday as she has been since she returned to RTVE and to work for   "España Directo". That day saw her in a town called Torrijos in Toledo after a train coming from Exremadura derailed because of  sabotage. Someone had laid a piece of metal from railing on the tracks and the train derailed but thankfully there were no injuries. Oli was surprised to find that the cameraman she had been assigned that day, many of whom are outsourced by RTVE, was a former member of her school, just one year below her. What a coincidence. Here they are together.

Oli with her cameraman, Pablo, in Torrijos on Tuesday - both of them had gone to the same school, St. Michael's

After our walk, we watched her report live from the train station. She had woken up with a sore throat and I could tell she was slightly hoarse during the report. Later on her way home - she came to spend the night - she lost it completely  as she had done a couple of weeks ago. Once home and after a lovely dinner together, I searched natural remedies online and she had to drink Camomile tea with lemon and honey. Later I made her a ghastly drink from water in which I had boiled 2 onions to which I added a big dollop of honey. I only hoped her throat and voice would be better the next day but they weren't.

We all went to bed late and Eladio and I watched perhaps the most gruesome film I have ever since about the Holocaust, called The Grey Zone (2001), the terrible story of the "sonderkommando", those Jews who were made to form part of the "special squads" who worked at the gas chambers. I slept very badly afterwards.

On Wednesday I was the first one up at 5.55, just before 6 am and fed the dogs. While Theresa May was fighting the motion of no confidence which she won, I spent the day at hospitals. First I went with Oli who was diagnosed with  acute laryngitis and was completely hoarse which is not good when your voice is vital for your job.  She could only communicate in writing and I was "her voice" at the hospital and chemist. In the afternoon I spent the time accompanying a friend who was being operated. 

I had plenty of time on my hands waiting at the hospital and spurred on by a movement on social media called the 10 year challenge where you are supposed to post photos of yourself 10 years ago alongside one today, I began to search for photos.  I had taken my PC with me so could browse and I can tell you there are and were plenty of photos to choose from. In the end I chose the ones illustrating this week's post. All 4 of us look so young in the photos then. Of course the girls look great as they are still young but I think Eladio and I don't look too bad for nearly 62 and 74 respectively. Later a former colleague warned me they the initiative is really being driven by a company or people who want to further develop face recognition programmes!  I don't know if you know but all those quizzes and tests on FB  are just used to get your data and learn your preferences. When I learned that I stopped doing them a while ago.  Maybe I should have deleted the post with the photo after learning the real objective but I didn't really care, well at least not about face recognition development research hahaha. That's probably because I am a bit narcissistic. I particularly love the photo of Eladio and I at the Taj Mahal for our 25th wedding anniversary. One big change in the 10 years is that I am a lot slimmer now hahaha.

At the Taj Mahal with Eladio in January 2019, 10 years ago this month. 

My dearest Indian born friend Sandra is in India at the moment, in Goa right now with another friend. Now that's one trip I would like to make again but this time with Sandra who would be the perfect guide.

I also had time to reflect on my top 10 films of all time, responding to another social media challenge.  I wonder what the objective behind that is too. My top ten are: Doctor Zhivago, The Sound of Music,  Gone with the Wind, The Inn of Sixth Happiness, Gandhi, The Nun's Story, Titanic, Schindler's List, The Empire of the Sun and Love Story.  As you can see I love biographies or rather films based on true stories as well as epic drama. I am also into films about prisons, nuns, schools, hospitals and of course WW2. Most of these films are pretty old. In my mind none made in the last 20 or so years are a patch on my top 10 but then I have a very particular taste for films and and am not your mainstream cinema lover. 

My favourite film of all times

I didn't get home until 11 o'clock that night and went to bed feeling shattered. I slept until 6.40 the next day which is just over 6 hours.  In all this time and since last Sunday the rescue mission goes on to find little Julen down that dreadful well.

Thursday came and was supposed to bring rain although it never came. That morning I went with Eladio and later with Olivia to see yet another new supermarket being opened near us. We have so many, we are spoiled for choice.  I wonder with so much competition how on earth they will all survive. We already had a Carrefour Market, a Dia, a Supercor, Mercadona, Lidl and now BM and another one will be squeezed in between the latter and this new one. I had never heard of it but learned it is of northern Spanish origin  (Basque Country and Santander)  and has now landed in Madrid. It is supposed to offer quality at a good price and lots of fresh produce. It was teeming with people and lots of produce to try for free such as fresh smoothies, bread, cakes, etc. I only tried the former hahaha. At the meat counter I spied sliced cold roast beef which I adore and is difficult to find here.  Amazingly I was given three little tubs with 3 thick slices in each one for free! It was really to promote the fact that at BM they can roast the meat or fish you buy there. I think I will take that up.  Here I am, by the way, coming out of the new supermarket. Later in the day, apart from the in store freebies and promotions there was a giant hot air balloon  outsidewhere kids were queuing up to get in the basket. That must have cost a bomb. They were also giving away free coffee sets to all new customers. I can only imagine Carrefour Market next door would have been pretty empty that day. Let's see how the two survive together. 

Outside BM yet another new supermarket to choose from in our area.

Later we all had lunch together. It was lovely to have Oli with us although I was sorry for her because she was ill. I had to go with her to the doctor again in the afternoon, her GP, to pick up a sick leave note for her to present at work when she goes back on Monday. Hopefully, by then, her laryngitis would  be over.  As I write today, Sunday, her voice has returned but still has a "frog" in it and she is not feeling well so maybe she will have to take a few more days off poor girl. 

That afternoon I went for a walk with Lucy as Eladio was feeling a bit under the weather too. She was very happy as she had just heard that her daughter was pregnant.  I was very pleased for her. She will be leaving soon and we will sorely miss her. She will be going at the end of this month and today is bringing her replacement, another woman from Paraguay and also called Lucy. The latter will be with us for 10 days and under our "old" Lucy's sharp eyes will learn the ropes, after which she will stay on until Lucy comes back. If she doesn't and the new Lucy is doing her job well and we get on, then she will stay to replace her. Is that confusing? I tried to explain all this to my Father yesterday and it didn't help that both women have the same name. Lucy came to Spain 2 years ago and is sorely missing her family. While she was here, her first grandchild was born, a little girl now aged 1 year and 7 months whom she has only seen on her telephone screen.  Image the scene when Lucy first sees, holds and touches her. If I were her, even if I wasn't earning as much money, I would stay and never come back. For me, family takes precedence over everything and I would have to be beyond the bread line to even contemplate leaving it.  That's why I miss Suzy so much. 

Dinner was a family affair again. The 3 of us prepared dinner together and my husband remarked how much he loved the preparations for our evening meals together. I do too. Later we watched the news, pretty much a rehash of everything we already knew.

In the UK that day, Prince Phillip, aged 97, had a car accident on the Sandringham estate from which he emerged unscathed although a little shocked. It's amazing he is still driving at that age. He is also still practicing horse carriage riding and the Queen continues to ride her horses. I hope I am as fit as them if I ever reach their age. Later in the week I read the story of his victims, Emma Fairweather, who broke her wrist, and her friend who was driving and her friend's baby. She told the press it was thanks to her friend's excellent and careful driving they didn't get killed. A royalist, she said she was disappointed not to have heard from the palace. I mean, the least they could do is apologise. While her car needs mending and her wrist is broken, Prince Philip was seen driving a replacement Land Rover two days later and not wearing a seat belt for which he was admonished by the police. 

We began watching a beautiful film, also about "older people", falling in love, something we don't see much of. It seems that love is the prerogative of younger people. That may be so on the screen in general  but it isn't like that in real life. I know that as I am an "older person" who is love. "Our souls at Night", starring Robert Redford  (82) and Jane Fonda  (81), is a refreshingly positive story about love at an older age but also a reflection on solitude when in the so-called "golden age", you become a widow or widower. I am dreading that by the way.  I slept much better after watching it than I did after The Grey Zone.

We watched this lovely film this week

Friday came and it was a cold day, even foggy, although it cleared in the afternoon when the sun made its appearance again. Oli spent the day nursing her laryngitis and feeling bored and trapped, wanting to go back to work but unable. Eladio and I went to do the normal weekly shopping at Mercadona. At Christmas we would go and have "chocolate con churros" after shopping but unfortunately no more. I have to shed the kilo I put on after all the chocolate I ate and other fattening things. We all had a very quiet day.

After a very short siesta, I made my daily cup of decaf tea and read a chapter of my latest book which I am loving, Odette (True stories from WW2) by Jerrard Tickell. The backdrop is the 2nd World War and the Resistance in France. The story is the biography of a young French woman, Odette Samson, who became a spy for the British French service run by "The Firm". Born in France but living in England after marrying an English man she felt strongly about the Nazi occupation of her beloved home country but she also felt a great duty to Great Britain after having been made so welcome when she first came to live there.  Odette was incredibly brave for such a young and "ordinary woman" (her words) but she turned out to be an extraordinary woman. Her story is well known, for being one of the few survivors of the Nazi death camp the infamous, Ravensbruck concentration camp. She was  one of England's "darling WW2 spies" and as I read her story I can see why.

This week's good read

 After our walk, Oli and I watched a bit of a series I like, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in English. It's very funny; not my usual genre but refreshing. We had a table booked at a new restaurant Oli and Miguel had tried out a week or so ago, but Oli was not up to it. Thus we stayed at home and enjoyed another evening meal together in our kitchen. Andy was home and later I greeted Alba and Javi, my Airbnb student guests, who arrived on Thursday night late and whom I hadn't seen until then.  They are not girlfriend and boyfriend as I met Alba's boyfriend who joined her one weekend, but I have a feeling Alba will be changing partners soon. I wish I had a photo of her for you. You can't imagine just how lovely, elegant and beautiful she is. Every time I see her I want to hug her, she's so sweet. 

That night we finished watching Our Souls at Night which I'm afraid finishes rather abruptly and doesn't really have a sweet and happy ending. 

Saturday came and it felt like the coldest day of winter so far. It was freezing, foggy and rained on and off all day. Needless to say we didn't venture out at all and missed our walk of the day. I made a lovely winter stew with miniature chick peas, veg and meat which we all polished off. I read more of Odette, spent quality time with Olivia and watched a silly film with Eladio, "Closer" which we didn't finish. I loved the actors but that was all I loved.  I think we were in bed by 8.30 but actually didn't switch the light off until past midnight. The news on all channels and on all media seems to be about the difficult rescue of Julen. Last night they were about 15 hours from reaching him via a parallel tunnel being bored but stumbled upon 4 metres of hard rock difficult to penetrate. As I write this Sunday morning, the race against time to find the toddler alive seems over to me. I only hope I am wrong.  I would love to be able to tell you next Sunday that he was rescued, found alive and well and that his family lived happily ever after and I sincerely hope I can. We will know later today or tomorrow I hope, so pray if you are a believer. It may help.

Sunday was 19th January, just another day for some. However it would have been the 60th birthday of my little cousin Jacqueline who died aged 12 in the air crash at Rijeka in 1971. She was just 2 years younger than me and I know we would have been like sisters if her life hadn't been cut short so unfairly.  The date of her birthday is etched in my mind. The day my Aunty Gloria, my Father's sister, her husband Derek and their three children, my cousins, Jacqueline, Michael and Antony, aged 12, 9 and 7 died was the saddest day in the life of my family. None of us ever got over it.

I have now reached the end of the stories of this week which has been very quiet. I am longing for a bit of action. I am hoping to persuade Eladio to go to Montrondo soon where it has snowed this weekend. I love the village with snow. Hopefully, then, I shall be writing next week's post from our house in the mountains.

All that remains for me to say is have a good Sunday and week ahead. Cheers till next time,

Masha

Kings' Day, С Рождество́м, the end of Christmas and back to normal, some retail therapy in the sales, dinner at "the club", freedom for Rahah al-Qunun and other stories.

Sunday 13th January, 2018 

Getting into the spirit of Kings' Day with my Father last Sunday morning

Dear all,

How are you doing?

January in Spain is known as "la cuesta de enero", (the January hill) meaning that the month after Christmas is a bit uphill, financially after all the extra expense but, in my mind, also mentally. It's difficult to get back to normal after Christmas and I always feel a bit down when 7th January comes and everything is over.

But it wasn't over last Sunday which was Kings' Day (Epiphany) in Spain and is celebrated all over the country. It's also the time when most Spaniards give their presents and is a very special day, mostly for children.   Being an Anglo Spanish family, we celebrate both the English and Spanish traditions and thus get a lot more out of Christmas than most. That's also because I love Christmas as you have probably gathered.

As I'm in charge of all celebrations, I was up early on 6th January to make everyone's breakfast. In Spain it is a tradition to eat the "roscón de reyes" (Kings' cake) on Kings' Day and that is what we did. I bought both the classic and whipped  cream varieties. I like to have mine toasted with butter but my Father prefers the whipped cream one. We had already had that one at Julio's the night before.

This is what our breakfast table looked like. It was truly a breakfast fit for Kings.

The breakfast table on Kings' Day last Sunday

And we felt like kings too that day. Here is a lovely photo of my Father and I with our crowns on - the crowns that come with the "roscón".

My Father and I on Kings' Day just before we sat down to breakfast

We were like the King and Queen of the house hahaha.

After breakfast it was time to open our presents by the tree. We give all our main presents on Christmas day but keep 2 for each person on Kings' Day. Before we opened the presents we had to have the customary photos taken to remember the moment and for my blog of course. Here's one Oli took of Eladio and I with our crowns on too.

Eladio and I on Kings' Day in the morning

For the record I gave Eladio his favourite perfume or rather my favourite perfume for him - Esencia by Loewe and Oli gave him a yellow jumper from Zara. Here he is in it. I love it when he wears bright colours. Men shouldn't only wear grey, black, brown or dark blue don't you think?

Eladio in his new yellow jumper

Oli got perfume too (Love Story by Chloe) and another jumper - from Pull and Bear. Here she is in it. There are not many photos of her that morning as she was wearing her pyjamas hahaha.

Oli with her new jumper

My Father, who thoroughly enjoyed Kings' Day, got some new white vests and a book - Mariano Guindal's autobiography. I love the photo of him with me illustrating this week's post. I love the twinkle in his eye.

After the present session, it was time to start on lunch. I would make roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, one of our favourite meals, for Kings' Day. Even though it is a very British dish we all love it. My Yorkshire pudding turned out a treat. I got the recipe from the BBC website and it has never turned out so crispy nor has it ever risen so much. It was wonderful and my Father asked for second helpings, bless him. And here is the Kings' Day lunch table with all the food we were about to devour hahaha.

Our Kings' Day lunch - roast beef and Yorkshire pudding

We had the last of the crackers that day and here is a selfie of Oli, Eladio and I with our hats on. Such fun.

Oli, Eladio and I with our Christmas cracker hats on on Kings' Day

Only Suzy was missing on Kings' Day. She is of course in Bali. That day she visited the Nusa Penida Island with her London friends. It belongs to Bali and looks like paradise. Here they are together on the island.

Suzy and her friends on the Nusa Penida Island  (Bali) on Kings' Day

We all needed a long siesta after such a copious lunch. Oli and I and the dogs also needed a long walk in the afternoon. We left at 5.30 which is quite late as it gets dark soon but amazingly it didn't get dark until after 6.30 as the days are getting longer now. It was another beautiful sunny day last Sunday.

We came back for free time as I call it when I don't have any obligations. Oli chose to do her French homework. Helene had set us holiday homework to be done by our lesson on 12th January. It was a refresh of the "avoir" verb but I would leave my homework until later.

None of of us was hungry for dinner but even so we ate and even had some more roscón and a glass of wine. For Oli and I and Eladio too, Kings' day would be the last day of indulging in food. From Monday 7th January it would be a return to healthy food and in my case to my diet. God knows how much I have put on but I won't be weighing myself for at least 10 days. My main New Year's resolution is to stay slim and I shall keep to it I promise.

Eladio and I were too tired and too full to watch anything on Netflix or Amazon Prime and both of us fell asleep after the news. I had another coughing fit but thankfully my "codiesan" tablets helped me get over it.

Monday 7th January dawned and it meant Christmas would be over. It was also Russian Christmas for the Orthodox religion. We used to celebrate it at home with my Russian born Mother but no longer unfortunately. So when in the evening, my Russian neighbour, Ekaterina, came over to bring us some chocolates and a bottle of vodka I was really touched. That was so thoughtful of her. I'm sure she didn't know that it would be my first present on 7th January since I was a child when my Mother used to give us presents. I wasn't brought up to speak Russian - big mistake on the part of my parents - so had to google Merry Christmas in my mother's native tongue. It is С Рождество́м!

Presents from our neighbours on 7th January, Russian Christmas.

For me, on 7th January Christmas was over, although it was a holiday in Spain as Reyes (Kings' Day) had been on a Sunday.  Oli was leaving that morning as Miguel was coming from Valencia and they would spend the rest of the week together. They went to a small village in Cáceres called Losar de la Vera where Oli would be interviewing a young woman who is a goat herd, all this for her new programme, España Directo. So Christmas was over and my girls were gone and I wanted it all back. I wished it was 7th December instead of 7th January.

It was time to take down the tree and all the decorations, perhaps the most depressing task of the year. But I got on with it. I did most of it and all Eladio had to do was to put everything in a big box to store until next year. Here he is about to close the box.

Taking down all the Christmas decorations on Monday

Although it was a holiday, my favourite supermarket, Carrefour Market, would be open as it is every day of the year to my delight. As the Monday fruit and veg market was closed, we went to the former to stock up on fruit and veg. Monday spelled a return to healthy living. At the end of the day, I had kept to my diet: fruit, veg, protein and milk and no carbohydrates, fat or sugar, and knew that I would be able to keep to my New Year's resolution.

It was a quiet day for us and the day unfolded as days do when we are at home and not particularly busy. We didn't hear from Suzy but we did get photos from Oli and Miguel at the village in Cáceres, Losar de la Vera. Here they are together that day, in brilliant sunshine I should say, the same as here.

Oli and Miguel in Losar de la Vera

I finished Mariano Guindal's book "un hombre con buena suerte" on Monday afternoon, just before dinner. I do hope we can see him soon for me to give him my feedback, all of it positive. What will my next book be I wondered? I had the choice of continuing Michelle Obama's "Becoming" which I started a while ago, or, interestingly, "The girl in the picture". The latter is the story of Kim Phuc, the so-called "napalm girl" whose photo by Nick Ut is the most famous one to come out of the Vietnam war.

June 8, 1972: Kim Phúc, center left, running down a road naked near Trảng Bàng after a South Vietnam Air Force napalm attack (Nick Ut / The Associated Press)

The book is written by Denise Chong and tells the story of how the photo came about and hopefully what happened to the 9 year old victim.

That night we watched or started watching a film called The Oxford Crimes on Amazon Prime. Not sure it was one of my favourites as I fell asleep before it ended.

Tuesday came and all vestige of the Christmas holidays was over. Andy, our long term Scottish lodger was back from his home in Antibes, France.  I greeted him in the morning. It was good to have him back.

I didn't have much to do that morning or rather I procrastinated and rewarded myself and went shopping in the sales. The excuse was to change an item of clothing I got for Christmas, but while at Centro Oeste, I was too tempted not to go and see the sales in some of my favourite shops, Zara being the first of course.

The sales at Zara on Tuesday 8th January

At Zara I got a white, hooded, waterproof padded jacket, made, believe it or not, from recycled plastic bottles. What  a good idea. There were no "Ms" so I had to make do with an "S". I was quite chuffed I could get into a Zara "S" after Christmas. At a lovely little boutique called "Algo Bonito", I exchanged the item of clothing for another padded jacket, a pink waistcoat one and a matching snood scarf. But it was at Pull and Bear I had my best find. I love tartan which is in fashion again and had been on the lookout for some comfortable and flattering red tartan trousers. It was there that I found them and I got a red jumper to match. I love this outfit don't you?

In my new red tartan outfit

These were my purchases which I had to photograph when I got home  - minus the trousers.

Some of my purchases when I went to the sales on Tuesday

All in all it was a wonderful solo trip to the sales. I felt so fortunate being able to go into any shop and more or less buy what I wanted. Later when I posted some of the photos on Instagram, my vegan and environment conscious daughter Suzy asked if I really needed all that. I answered not really but that it had made me happy. I've always thought I probably have enough clothes never to have to buy anything more until the end of my days but that would be so boring. It's lovely to wear new clothes; it gives you an up and on Tuesday I needed an "up".

I came home to show Lucy my purchases and hide them from Eladio. I never tell him when I buy new clothes as he doesn't approve. If it were for him, he'd wear the same thing everyday and never buy anything again hahahah. Lucy liked them though:-) I showed them to Oli too, who loves retail therapy as much as me, via whatsapp as she was in Losar de la Vera in Cácerces shooting. She approved. No doubt, as we often wear each other's clothes, she will be wearing some of the new ones I bought this week.

That morning Oli was in her element filming a young 35 year old goat herd called Mari, with her 90 or so goats in a village called Losar de la Vera (Cáceres).  Mari knows the name and number of each and every one of them! As she has to milk them twice a day, she can never take a holiday but doesn't seem to mind. She inherited the herd from her Father and even though she has a University degree, preferred to return to her home village and continue the family's way of living. Here they are together; two girls of similar age but with completely different lives.

Oli and Mari, the young goat herd in Losar de la Vera (Cáceres) on Tuesday

After shooting the report, Oli and her cameraman edited it at a bar nearby and sent it to TVE. It was broadcast that evening at 19.50 on her new programme, España Directo and we watched it with great interest. It is the first of a series of reports about rural working women. Thursday would see Oli in a village in Soria filming another woman farmer. She loves the outdoors and is loving her new job and return to TVE.

The rest of the day went past as usual. In the afternoon we went for our walk, came back to read and then had dinner - a diet one. Then it was time for bed, the news and instead of watching a film, we both fell asleep again. That must have been because of the  cold air on our bracing walk.

Wednesday came and it was a very quiet day with hardly anything to report. I did have some great news that day but very frustratingly I can't share it until it's confirmed. But I have to say it left me on cloud 9 and feeling happy all day long.

I spent most of the morning doing something I had been putting off for a while; sending all my financial statements, invoices and receipts to my accountant. One of the banes of being self employed is financial reporting  every 3 months. I was so relieved when I finished.

There was little news from the girls that day, a day of our routine which you must be pretty familiar with by now. I made lunch with Lucy's help; basically veg with protein, no fat and no carbs. Even so, it was still delicious.

It has been a week of brilliant sunshine although very cold in the mornings and evenings but that has made for lovely weather on our walks. We now go out at about 5, as we did on Wednesday, to enjoy our 1 hour and 20 minute walk up the hill and across the fields and back with Madrid's skyline in the far distance. We are so glad we live away from the city's pollution.

Once home, I did another task I had been procrastinating about; tidying up part of my walk in wardrobe. That took a while. I was looking forward afterwards to watching Oli on TV but she wasn't on that day. She had spent the time pre-producing a report she would be dong the next day on a 58 year old woman farmer from a village in Soria - part of a series of reports on rural working women. We won't see it until next Monday. She would be leaving early in the morning for Soria on Thursday and on Friday again but this time for Valladolid to cover the annual international motorbike gathering called "pinguinos". So, we would have to wait till Friday evening to see her again on TV and until Saturday to see her in the flesh.

We had a very quiet dinner together and then went upstairs to our quarters. The news that night was full of the agreement with the right wing parties, PP and Ciudadanos, backed by the extreme right Vox party, that would allow the former to govern in Andalucia. Some of the proposals from Vox were preposterous, such as separating boys and girls in the classroom and many others.

That night we were entertained with a new series on Prime Video; You are Wanted. It's a hacker type thriller, very much a story of our times and is pretty frightening.

Thursday came. It was a quiet day for us but not for Oli. That morning a car from TVE was coming to pick her up to drive her to a village in the province of Soria. She later sent us a photo where you can see her  lady farmer storing sunflower seeds. These are eaten widely by people in Spain. Not so in England where they are reserved for parrots hahaha.

Oli in a village in Soria on Thursday

I finally did my holiday homework that our French teacher, Helene, had set us. Our next lesson would be on Saturday and it was time for me to do it. The exercises were all about the "avoir" verb which were actually quite easy.  I must have been listening well when I was taught it at school so many years ago. The homework took more than 2 hours though as there were pages and pages of exercises. I felt so good when I had finished.

Eladio had errands to do in the afternoon, so on Thursday we went on our walk in the morning before lunch. It was freezing but very sunny. That morning I wore some of my new clothes, the pink waistcoat with my new Adidas trainers. This is how I looked. Very modern right? Recently I read comments from the fashion designer Carolina Herrera who advised women over 40 never to wear jeans or a mini skirt saying that "older women" should not try to look like younger women. What bullshit. I love jeans and I love mini skirts. What funny advice from a woman like Carolina Herrera.

All in the pink on Thursday

If my morning had been busy and I had been very active, I was very lazy in the afternoon. Eladio went off to do his errands and I decided to stay inside - it was freezing outside - and enjoy a series I started watching recently on Prime Video, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, set in New York in the 50's. It's very entertaining.

That night we watched more  of our new series, "You are Wanted" and it's so tense I'm afraid I found it difficult to fall asleep afterwards. We were interrupted when our 2 student guests, Alba and Javi, arrived at about 11 pm. They are repeat guests who have been coming since November and will be coming on and off from now until June. They are from Alicante and Valencia, respectively and no doubt, felt the cold. Luckily our house is very warm. I settled them in, settled the dogs too as Norah had hogged Elsa and Pippa's bed and returned to my own bed for more stress watching You are Wanted.

Friday came and promised to be a great day. We did the food shopping - no not a great task and there would be no churros this week - while Oli was on her way to Valladolid. That day she would be covering the annual "pinguinos" event there where up to 30.000 fervent motorcycle fans gather from all over the world. It is perhaps the biggest event of its kind. She would be there all day, doing a report for the programme and then stay until the programme began to do a live report at around 7.30. We looked forward to that. I never tire of seeing her on TV.

While she was having an exciting day, ours went by as usual, the highlight being our walk. We came back to watch her on the TV and then got ready to go out.

Her story was first on. Here she is reporting live from Valladolid on the motorcycle event there.

Oli reporting on the weather for TVE on Friday

We are currently going through a very cold spell here and she had to report on the weather too. Cleverly she held her toy penguin to illustrate the name of the event (pinguino meaning penguin) and the cold too. It was just 3ºc that evening in Valladolid.

Oli live from Valladolid reporting on the international motorcycle gathering event called "Pinguinos"

I'm not sure my Father would have been very interested in the motorcycle event but, as  a great lover of weather news and weather forecasts, he would have been proud of her reporting on the temperature that day. She was well wrapped up thank goodness.  I would be too when we were ready to go out to dinner on Friday night. Olivia would be home late that night as she had to return to Madrid after the report, a drive that takes a little over 2 hours.

Our drive took 15 minutes or less. We had a dinner date at the Parque de Boadilla Members Club which we used to frequent and belong to when we lived in our last house in Rio Tajo there. After the girls were born, we sold our flat in the centre of Madrid and bought a house in the country and moved  to an area (urbanización) called Parque Boadilla in 1988. When we were looking for houses in the area I remember being taken to the "club" which seemed such a luxury to me with its gardens, cafeteria, restaurant, tennis courts and swimming pool. It was one of the reasons we bought our house there. Many a happy hour was spent at the club. We hadn't been back since we moved to our new house in 2006 so Friday night would be  a very special night remembering old times.  We were to have dinner with our friends Isabel and Juanjo, also from Parque Boadilla, whom we met through Suzy who was their daughter Lorena's best friend in their class at St Michael's school when they were small. I think I told you in my last post that we had bumped into "Lorena's parents" last week and arranged a dinner date at the "club". Dinner that night was the highlight of my week. It certainly was a trip down memory lane and a happy one at that. Here we are, the 4 of us around the table at the Club that night.

Dinner with our old friends on Friday night at The Club

Not much had changed apart from the restaurant furniture. Everything else was the same. It was pity it was night time as I would have loved to wander outside and see the grounds.  During dinner I got a sudden and unexpected Airbn reservation for Saturday night from a couple who hail from Philippines. They will be our first guests from that part of the world. We stayed at the Club until after midnight, happily chatting, catching up on each other's lives and talking about the past and the present, including our offspring of course. As we parted, we agreed to repeat the experience. It's nice to have found our old friends again and I have a feeling we shall be seeing more of them. That's great for our social life which actually isn't that "social".

It was very late when we switched the light off that night, past 1 in the morning. I thought my cough had gone but it hadn't and I got a coughing fit in the middle of the night damn it. Thankfully I woke up half an hour later than usual at about 7 am.

Saturday was a break with routine, something I needed. I had a quiet morning and didn't even see our guests Alba and Javi who left early for the UEM. At 12 Oli and Miguel arrived and shortly Helene, our French teacher too. We spent a 1.15h in a very intense lesson, talking French the whole time. We spent at least one hour going over our homework, a refresh on the verb "avoir". Helene congratulated us on our exercises which were nearly perfect for once.

As soon as the lesson finished and we had seen Helene out until next Saturday - hahahaha she forgot to set us homework for next week - it was time to make lunch. I sent Lucy off who I knew was dying to leave for her short weekend and respite from looking after my Father and the house. She does such a good job. We had a healthy lunch of fresh fish and vegetables and no carbs!!

Later we all had a siesta until my Philippine guests arrived, Leslie and Maria. I welcomed them in, showed them around the house, settled them into their room and haven't seen them since. This morning they will be leaving, as will Javi and Alba but this afternoon Bob and Angela will be coming - they are repeat guests -  and Andy will be back from his hiking trip up a snowy mountain in France.

The big news came from France that day, or rather from Paris and it wasn't about the "gilets jaunes" (yellow vests) who were demonstrating in the centre for the 9th time. No it was more sinister. A gas explosion at a bakery in the heart of the tourist area caused havoc, death and destruction. One Spanish woman tourist from Toledo and 2 firemen were killed and many people injured. Those affected must have thought the explosion was from terrorist action but for once it wasn't.

The other news came from Canada. The 18 year old Saudi Arabian teenager, Rahaf al-Qunun, who, earlier this week, barricaded herself in her hotel room in Bangkok, refusing to return to her homeland where she faces a death penalty for giving up her religion and a backlash from her ultra conservative family who have made her life a misery, was on her way to freedom. The world got to know of her plight thanks to her twitter account. Many others who don't use social media, end up going back to a life of misery or even death. Thankfully, the Canadian PM Justin Trudeau came to her rescue and she will now know what it is like to live in freedom although it won't be easy for her starting a new life in a new and cold country where she knows no one. I think she has been very very brave and wish her a wonderful life. Go for it Rahaf!

The smiling Saudi teenage girl Rahaf arriving to freedom in Canada yesterday

I think all of us living in the free world, so to speak, just take our lives and freedom for granted. Cases like that of Rahaf should make us realise just how lucky we are really. Yesterday, I could choose what to do in the afternoon. Saudi girls don't get that choice without permission from a male guardian. Imagine. Well, Eladio is no male guardian, thank goodness - I wouldn't have married him if he was - so I chose to accompany Oli and Miguel who were going into the city to visit Anita, Oli's great friend from Uni, a lovely girl I know well. She also lived with Suzy in London where I saw a lot of her. She has been ill and has a mysterious yet to be diagnosed rare illness and we wanted to see her. She was in good shape really and above all radiated a positive attitude. She lives with her boyfriend, Alberto, in a flat in the centre and we spent a quiet and nice 2 or 3 hours together while back home Eladio went for a walk with Pippa. I missed my walk yesterday but it was for a good cause.

Oli and Miguel dropped me off at home later while they gallivanted off to dinner again. As Anita pointed out, Oli's main social pleasure is eating at good restaurants, just like me hahaha. I was happy to stay at home and have a quiet dinner with Eladio. There was no sign of any of our guests who were all out so we had the kitchen to ourselves.

Last night we watched a depressing film called The Innocents. It's Polish and set in 1945 and tells the horrific story of nuns who had  raped during the war and impregnated and who were helped secretly by a young Red Cross Communist doctor.  Thankfully I fell asleep quite soon and for once got quite a decent night's sleep with no coughing.

Today is Sunday and the day promises to be quiet. Today, by the way, is my best friend Fátima's birthday so happy birthday to her from here. Hopefully we shall go out to lunch one day soon to celebrate it with her.

I have reached the end of the tales of this week which started with Reyes. Christmas has now gone completely and we are at the beginning of a new year which I hope will be a great one for us all.

That's all from me for this week folks! Cheers till next time,
Masha