Sunday 19th May 2019
 |
| Eladio and I with Pippa on our walk on Monday afternoon in Montrondo |
Good morning all. Well, it's been a great week overall and it started off in our beloved village Montrondo.
Last Sunday after saying goodbye to my father and leaving instructions on welcoming our new Airbnb guests and saying goodbye to those who were leaving and to my father, Eladio and I left with a car full of food so as not to have to go shopping while in Montrondo. I was up at 5.30 as there is so much to do before going. Ironically, Suzy who had spent the night out on the tiles and who had slept at Oli's place, had gone to bed at 6 am. She wouldn't get much sleep at all, just a couple of hours. We picked her up at around 11.15, saw Oli for a few minutes who felt sadly left behind. We would have dearly liked her to come too but of course she was working this week. Pippa came with us of course. Oli took a photo of Suzy with Pippa in the car just as we set off for Montrondo.
 |
| Suzy with Pippa just before setting off for Montrondo last Sunday |
We got to our favourite "pit stop", the Palacio de Bornos in the white wine growing area called Rueda at just after 13h. Here we had our lunch; ham, lomo, cheese and red peppers with delicious freshly made bread and of course a glass of wine - verdejo for me and sauvignon for Eladio. Here are father and daughter at our table.
 |
| Eladio and Suzy at lunch in Rueda last Sunday |
Both Suzy and I slept most of the way after the stop in Rueda and we arrived to a very sunny village at around 3.30. Eladio's sisters were there as was one of my nephews but they had only gone for the day and would leave at around 6.
Arriving in Montrondo means getting the house ready for our stay and putting all the food away. It took a while but not too long afterwards both Suzy and I were lying on the grass at the back of the house and reading. Eladio had to cut the grass as it had grown so long in our absence. Later my daughter and I, accompanied by Pippa, went for a short walk on the old path to Murias. On our way we met so many people it took a while to actually leave the village. Year round only about 10 people live here but lots come from León or Madrid where they live in the winter to spend the summer here. The first people we saw were Salo, our neighbour and her eldest daughter Romina. Then we were joined by Josefa and Rossi, just coming back from a walk. On our way out of the village we greeted Tomasín. Every time I greet him, the poor chap has some medical complaint to tell us about.
Soon we were on the old path and oh how beautiful it was. The village looked lovely in its May colours.
 |
| The village as seen from our walk last Sunday evening. |
We were home by about 7.45 and it was time to make dinner. It's amazing how the country air there provokes a bigger appetite than normal. That night I made a prawn, avocado and mango salad which we all ate with gusto. Later we watched a film on Netflix I had seen before but didn't mind seeing again. Called "Playing for time", it stars Vanessa Redgrave and is the story of the women's orchestra at that most dreadful of Nazi concentration camps, Auschwitz.
I went to bed late and found it difficult to sleep. I had hoped for a restful night but I didn't get one.
I woke up at 6.15 on Monday morning to a very quiet village. It would be another glorious sunny day. It was to be a very lazy day too. At the end of it I commented to Suzy that really I hadn't done anything at all that day. She answered wisely that maybe that was a good thing as I am always so busy. Perhaps she is right. The three of us spent the morning reading and lounging around in the garden behind the house. I was reading Michelle Obamas's biography which I had started some time ago but left to read other books. It's interesting but didn't grip me at all.
Lunch was an easy affair. We had left over bean stew I had brought from Madrid. Suzy, of course, had a vegan option. We waited for her to finish her classes before we ate. Later I would have a three hour long siesta. I just felt exhausted. It maybe because I had a bad throat which would plague me a bit this week. It was a really hot day for Montrondo on Tuesday so we left our walk until after 6 pm when the sun was shining with less strength. While waiting for Suzy, I caught Eladio on camera on the lovely hammock Suzy had given us a few years ago. You would think it was from one of her exotic trips, but no, she had bought it in Santa Pola.
 |
| Eladio, sitting on the hammock just before our walk on Monday |
It's hard to believe this good looking husband of mine is 74 years old. You wouldn't believe it either would you?
Before we left the village I caught horses on my camera this time. I think they must belong to one of the villagers, Manolo, but I'm not sure. It was lovely to see them walking around the village unharnessed or fenced in. Beautiful white horses they are. Of course we had to keep Pippa on the lead as she goes mad when she sees horses, cows, sheep, etc.
 |
| White horses in the village |
Our walk on Monday would take us into the mountains and on old paths towards the next village, Murias walking along the top with great views. Eladio calls it "el camino valle" (the valley path). We love this newly discovered walk and it is is perfect for a hot day as the woods on the way hide the sun. Here is Suzy just as we were about to enter the main path overlooking the village.
 |
| Suzy enjoying the nature in Montrondo |
Suzy wasn't very familiar with this new walk and we were keen to show her it, especially the woods on the way where we stopped to take photos including a selfie of course.
 |
| On our walk on Monday |
 |
| Pippa loving the walk too |
 |
| Yellow flowers from the bracken everywhere |
 |
| Father and daughter on camera |
The walk, there and back takes nearly 2 hours and of course we all came back feeling peckish. But first I had to wash little Pippa who gets so dusty on the walks there. We sat around the table at around 9 pm - sunset wasn't until 9.40 - and enjoyed a salad, humus, ham, etc all washed down with a delicious glass of Rueda wine, in my case.
Later we watched a film with Michael Douglas until very late. Called "Don't say a word", I had seen it before but was happy to see it again. Thus I was in bed a bit later than usual and thought I wouldn't sleep well after such a long siesta but I did. It must have been the mountain air that helped.
Tuesday was to be another glorious sunny day. It was to be another lazy day too. We spent most of the day at the house, or rather outside in the garden reading. Suzy had her lessons to give while I spent most of the morning reading more of Michelle Obama's biography which got more interesting when I got to the part when Barack Obama becomes the first black President of the USA. Oh what a great couple and what a difference from that clown of a man Trump and his silent wife. I stopped at about 1 pm to make our lunch, a meal made from scratch which is how we like to eat at home. That day I made a vegetable soup followed by fresh cod and asparagus. Suzy was not able to join us as that day her lessons didn't end until 3.30 pm. I tried to sleep a siesta afterwards but could hear her teaching small Chinese pupils English enthusiastically. When she finished, I finally dozed off and didn't wake up until 5.45! I was certainly catching up on lost sleep in the lovely calm environment that life in Montrondo provides.
At about 6.40 when it was still very hot, Eladio, Pippa and I set off on our walk. Suzy stayed behind to talk to a bosom friend who had just arrived in Costa Rica, a friend she had made in Bali. She has friends all over the world and here in Montrondo and in Madrid she seems to want to catch up with everyone. At the same time she is missing what she calls her "brothers and sisters" from Indonesia. Her heart is torn between them and her friends and family in Spain. Apart from her lessons, she spent part of the day looking for extra work all in the teaching world via different online platforms. I must say she seems a lot more focused than she was when she came at Christmas. I think teaching may well be the career she pursues, rather than the one she was trained for; nutrition and dietetics. Recently she studied for and got her TEFL certificate which qualifies her to be a teacher of English. I also think she will make a great teacher. That day she was applying for full time teaching jobs, this time at schools, in Bali. Of course that means she is going to return there. It makes me sad to think she wants to live at the other end of the world but if she is happy there, what can I do? It's her life, not mine and I have to respect her decisions.
So went on our walk on our own. She was part of our conversation as our daughters nearly always are. We took the same path as the day before, the one we call "el camino valle" which goes to Murias, the next village, but on a path in the mountains and through charming woods and where there is not a soul apart from ourselves. I love it. It was the main activity of our day. Here I am just after Eladio closed the style, a very Montrondo type style I should say as it is closed with a long piece of rope. Pippa is in my arms so as to get into the photo. I am wearing my very flimsy summer jump suit I bought a couple of years ago at the market in Majadahonda and which is perfect for walks in the summer. Wearing it makes me feel like a girl again. A girl? Well, no, I am 62 but of course there is still a girl inside me. There always will be.
We didn't see a soul that day and Eladio remarked how empty the village is. I don't mind at all though. I love it that way and find so much peace there away from all the bustle of urban life. I really think I could live on a farm or somewhere more isolated than our house outside Madrid. I just need the greenery, the space and the open air and I'm not a city girl and never have been. When we first got married we lived in the heart of Madrid for nearly 5 years and I just hated it; the traffic, the pollution, the noise, buildings everywhere, the lack of green spaces and too many people rushing around like chickens without heads on. No, not for me the city life. That's why I am so happy in Montrondo. It's our bolt hole to get away from it all and rest and relax. I love it.
It was late when we got back, almost 8.30 pm but there was no rush to make dinner. There we are so relaxed we even don't mind breaking our routines. Oli would be happy to hear that as she hates our routines haha. But they are necessary if we want to have free time. The more organised you are, I have found over the years, the more time you are able to make for yourself. Usually I am so busy, but in Montrondo I was able to relax and wind down after so much hectic work over my father's 100th birthday, something I can now see I sorely needed.
So we made dinner together leisurely, one of the nicest moments of the day. Cooking that way is also fun and relaxing. I made a big Spanish potato and onion tortilla which we had with spinach. I also had a glass of white wine. Suzy pointed out that I shouldn't be having wine and normally I don't but there again I was breaking another norm and didn't really care. In fact, I think wine at night helps me sleep better. However, I would go back to being a teetotaler when we got home. In Montrondo everything is allowed and at home I am more strict about my calorie and alcohol intake.
Eladio didn't want to watch TV that night, preferring to read and Suzy was on the phone as she seems to be most of the time. Thus, that night I got to choose what I wanted to watch on Netflix and I also got to be able to watch in English. I chose to restart Line of Duty. Everyone is mad about it in England. We had started watching it a while back but hadn't really got into it. So that night I gave it another try. Suzy later joined me and the two of us were up until past midnight having watched the first two episodes. I must say now I like it and have 4 whole seasons to watch.
Wednesday came, our last full day in Montrondo and also the last day of good weather all over Spain. Thursday would bring colder temperatures and rain. Just when we had got used to beautiful summer weather, it was to go again. Well, that's May for you; always unpredictable or as Maria was described by the other nuns in The Sound of Music "unpredictable as weather".
Wednesday was 15th May, Saint Isidro in Madrid and a holiday in the Spanish capital. But I wouldn't be celebrating. I can't celebrate anything on this day. All I can do is remember it was the day of the passing away of my dear brother George. He died of melanoma on 15th May 2001 aged just 46. If he had lived, he would be 64 now. He was taken too early in life. Life was unfair to him and to us as a family. We have missed him ever since. His dear Serbian wife, Sanya, missed him so much, she let herself die just a few years later after a bout of pneumonia. They lie together at a cemetery in Finchley in London, two souls who were troubled in life but who found love finally although for a very short time. My only consolation is that my mother was not alive to bear the death of her son. Not so my father, who bears the tragedy as I do too. George was 6 ft tall, a handsome, blue eyed blonde boy with a great figure and a huge talent for languages, music and sport but he was a troubled boy and life dealt him the wrong cards. I always felt guilty, that I, a lot less talented than him, was dealt the right cards. Where is the balance I ask myself? With a sigh I tell you here that he lives on in my heart but that I miss him always.
I thought about him a lot during that day as I often do. It was with a heavy heart I wrote about him in my father's biography but he will always be remembered.
Life continued as normal in Montrondo. It was another quiet day. We love being there but so does Pippa, our spoiled miniature chocolate dachshund who is the apple of my eye. She follows me everywhere. In Montrondo she has her favourite spots and the corner of the wall opposite our kitchen door is one of them. It seemed like she was posing for me when she sat there on Wednesday so I got my phone out and snapped away. I wonder how many photos I have of her? Many more than of my family hahaha.
That morning while Suzy gave her online classes to her Chinese pupils, Eladio and I read in the garden at the back of the house and Pippa joined us, happy to sit at my feet on the sunbed. For shade we had the luxury of apple trees.
We had lunch and then rested again. Suzy had to continue working as after each session of lessons she has to give in reports. She chose to work from the terrace outside the kitchen and I caught her on camera too.
While at her computer she was also searching for local private lessons as a teacher of English while she is here in Spain, some online and some face to face. Clever girl, she garnered two new pupils that day who live near us. Some of the lessons will be online which means she can work from anywhere. Way to go these days I think.
Eladio took to mowing the front lawn and with Suzy busy, it was only Pippa and me on the walk that day. We went alone but we enjoyed it. Everything seemed coloured in yellow from the flowering of the bracken to the daisies, dandelions and lovely buttercups everywhere.
At the end of the walk I spied cows and just on time put Pippa's lead back on. She is fearless and would have run up to the cows and barked at them. They were such a peaceful sight though and on that day, for some reason, Pippa was not one bit interested in them. The last thing I wanted was a stampede in our direction because of her barking.
We were home before the sun went down behind the mountains of Montrondo at around 8.30 although sunset isn't until about 9.40 in that area at this time of year. I came home to hear from Suzy who was making our salad for dinner that internet was not working properly. That would be a problem for her online lessons the next day. It seemed to be a problem in the area and not with our router. Thus we decided to leave the next day at 7.30 in the morning, so as not to risk an internet outage and Suzy missing her classes for which she would be penalized. She works for a very strict Chinese company called Dada. That night therefore there was no Netflix of course and in the end at around 11 pm we started getting everything ready to be able to leave the house early the next morning.
Meanwhile, Oli had arrived in far away Huesca in the Spanish Pyrenees. She was going for work purposes but was accompanied by her partner Miguel so it would be an enjoyable work trip. We wouldn't see her until the weekend when on Saturday we would celebrate her birthday early as on the actual day, 22nd May, she would be away reporting in Valencia. She does seem to get around Spain a lot these days. We did miss her a lot in Montrondo I must say.
I didn't sleep well that night. I took a double dose of sleeping tablets and probably fell asleep at around 1 am. I had the alarm on for 6 am and for once I slept through without waking up. So I got 5 straight hours of sleep. Not bad for me, but not enough really.
It was rush job to have breakfast, shower, etc, pack up, close doors and windows but we were in the car by 7.30. We had to be home by 11.55 at the latest and we made it. Eladio drove at breakneck speed and I hope we don't get a speeding fine.
In the end we were home by 11.45, well on time for Suzy's lessons. As we unpacked, she rushed up to the conservatory to prepare for her session. I had to go into take her a cup of coffee and caught her on camera just as she had started her first class to a young Chinese pupil. Her pupils are aged 4 to 11. It must be very challenging teaching 4 year old Chinese kids who have no previous knowledge of English but she fares well. She uses all sorts of props and gives fun lessons. One of her mantras is that learning with fun is the best way to learn. Her pupils certainly seem to like her dynamic lessons. She uses all sorts of props to make the lessons more entertaining and even dresses up. That day she wore a huge pair of specs with no lenses to make her look more like a teacher:-) Here she is on camera our budding teacher who seems to be making a great job of this new career. She hasn't abandoned her real profession, nutrition and dietetics, but right now her main source of income comes from teaching. I'm so proud of her.
Her lessons didn't finish until 3.30 so we had lunch without her. It was great to see my father again and I'm sure he was happy to have us around as I know he finds it rather lonely when we are away. We had lunch outside on what would be the last day of summer weather for a few days as the temperatures would drop the next day.
Suzy and I were planning on going out to buy Oli's birthday present that afternoon but got caught up applying for another job for her - teaching small Spanish kids English at what looks like an organisation which is right up her street and whose philosophy is learning by using fun methods. We didn't finish until after 5 pm and when we left we hit the school traffic. We went to the local shopping centre, Centro Oeste, where I hadn't been for quite a while. We made our purchases, a present for Oli from each of us and then went food shopping to Carrefour Market. On our way home we went to a Chinese shop to get more props for Suzy's lessons. I got a birthday card and fun candles for Oli's birthday party this weekend.
We had to rush home if we wanted to watch Oli live on TV. We were just on time. She was on three times talking about a water problem in villages in Huesca. The water was contaminated and villagers had to source water from a public pump just like in Victorian times. I have to say Oli was looking stunning. She had styled her hair beautifully, the red lipstick she wore suited her, as did her ever growing bump which she proudly displayed while reporting professionally as she always does. Isn't she gorgeous? I'm so proud of both my daughters.
By then it was nearly 8 pm and time to make dinner. We had it outside but the temperature had already gone down and it felt a little cold. Just as we were finishing, our repeat Airbnb guest, a beautiful young physiotherapist, Alba, from Alicante arrived. She and her fellow student Javi, who is from Valencia, have been staying with us on and off since October and they both now seem part of the family. Suzy and I later had a long conversation with her about women's pelvic health during pregnancy. Alba and Javi are completing a master's degree in this subject. Suzy asked how they did their training and she told us that they used each other to practice. I'm not going into what that might entail. Just use your imagination hahahah.
We went to bed a bit later than usual and continued watching Line of Duty. Eladio, unfortunately fell asleep but I continued watching and I must say I do like the series.
I woke up at about 6.45 on Friday morning. The first thing I saw in my phone was yet another 5 star review from an Airbnb guest, this time from a man called Sandy who is from Hong Kong. He had come to see his sun studying at the local university but we hadn't met him as he was here while we were in Montrondo. I must say his words encouraged me a lot. Reviews like this make all the effort I put into hosting worth the while. Thank you Sandy.
On Friday I noticed the drop in temperature as soon as I went outside with my morning coffee. It was so funny to go from 30ºc down to 15ºc in just one day. That morning I spent time making Oli's birthday cake. She had asked me to make a brownie for her birthday party from a recipe I used for Suzy's birthday cake. This is it by the way. It works a treat and the trick is to take it out of the oven while it is completely sticky inside. It may seem underdone but continues to cook once out of the oven. That way it turns out fudgy which is just how a brownie should be. I adapted the recipe to our taste and did not add the extra chocolate bits but put in walnuts instead. I also decorated it with nutella spread and more walnuts. By midday, they were ready. I made a big one for her birthday and a smaller one for spare which we would have for dinner that night.
I also had time to go out and do some food shopping and come home to make our lunch. It was after lunch that we finally took down my father's 100th birthday decorations and we then put up some we had bought for Oli's birthday. He had loved them so much - me too - that I put some of them in his room for him to remember his special day.
Suzy had an important day on Friday. In the afternoon after her lessons and a late lunch, off she went for her first singing lesson. She is going to have vocal lessons at Marand Musical, a music academy that belongs to Carmen and Mapi. Carmen was my communications assistant when I worked at Nokia. She left the job 16 years ago to set up the music school with her partner Mapi and it has gone from strength to strength. I would have loved to have gone with her but she had an appointment later with a new pupil so it didn't make sense. She is a great singer and Eladio and I both regret not having done more for her when she was much younger. We did try a bit but not enough.
Meanwhile I got a sudden new Airbnb reservation at around 4 pm from a Chinese guest called Jack which is probably not his real name. He arrived at around 6.30 just as we were leaving for our walk so I had to go back into our house to welcome him in. He would occupy Andy our Scottish lodger's room who is away for a few days. Also that day, Javi, our longstanding physiotherapist guest arrived. He would occupy the green room. That day I checked all was clean and in order in his room while putting a plate of fruit and some flowers in his room. I also checked the terrace and while there realised just what a wonderful view that room has of the garden at the back. So I snapped a picture and this is it. You can spot Elsa our lab in the photo peacefully lying on the kitchen patio. As the name of the room suggests, the view was much in line; very green too at this time of year of course.
We wouldn't see Jack again until he left and we wouldn't see Javi either as he arrived late and would be leaving in the morning.
We came home just as Oli and Miguel were arriving back from Huesca which is quite a drive from Madrid. Suzy arrived a few minutes later, ecstatically happy from her singing lesson. She was pleased with her first private English lesson too a new pupil. We were a happy bunch at dinner that night which we made all together. With Oli's permission, we had the small brownie for dessert and wow was it fudgy and delicious. The dogs wanted their share but wouldn't get it I'm afraid as sugar is not good for them. Here is Eladio eating his brownie with both Elsa and Norah at his side. It made for a great photo.
Norah in particular is a pest when it comes to food. When no one is looking, if there is any food within her reach she will go for it. Recently she at our Dutch airbnb's cheese. It's always very embarrassing and although we warn guests, it still happens.
We all went to bed after that except for Suzy. She had yet another date with yet another friend later that night at around 10.30. People go out so late in Spain. We stayed in and watched another episode of "Monteperdido" on RTVE and later a bit more of Line of Duty.
Saturday came and it would start with a family birthday breakfast for Oli. It was funny to celebrate her birthday that day, 18th May, when her real birthday is next week on the 22nd. She chose churros and the thicker version, "porras" with thick chocolate to dunk them in for her breakfast. Eladio and I went out to get them and we were all at the table by 9 am, my father included. Oh he loves birthdays. The churros were delicious as they always are but very filling. After the churros came our card and presents, a topaz silver ring from Aristocrazy which Oli told me she wanted. It's much better to buy her things you know she wants, otherwise anything else will only get changed at the shop hahaha. This is what happened with the blouse Suzy bought for her sister. Here are Oli and Miguel at breakfast on Saturday with Pippa in my daughter's arms. She just has to get in every picture.
The girls spent the whole of the morning preparing for Oli's birthday lunch. She had invited 5 or so of her friends from the girls' group. I was worried their party would be a problem because 2 young girls were coming to stay, new Airbnb guests and they had precisely told me they had chosen our house to get some peace and quiet. Jack, our Chinese guest, left just as we finished breakfast and keen to meet other people, he mistook my daughters for Airbn guests. It was a funny moment. He left his room in a perfect state and later gave me a great review. He was here on business and his job is to sell clothes; workers' clothes. His next destination was Milan.
I spent a lot of the morning replying to more cards from my father's old pupils. I haven't quite finished. I have about 10 to go but then he did receive nearly 60 cards. It may seem old fashioned to reply to birthday cards but I was brought up to do so and if people made the effort, it is up to me to thank them. I just had to reply to the lovely words written by his "old boys" some of whom are quite old themselves now. I only wish I had had their testimony too for his biography. So that day I was in touch with quite a few including the Fenton and Perrott brothers and a former pupil and colleague, Mr. Stoney . My father remembered them all. One of them wrote back to say "all we knew was that he (my father) was exceptional and had an ability to inspire affection and respect. There is no doubt at all he is a very special man" Isn't that lovely?
The kitchen was full of the girls cooking but I found a space to make lunch for Eladio, my father and I. I have to add I wasn't at all hungry or very inspired so resorted to "spagbol" as we call spaghetti bolognese here. Just as we were finishing the two new guests, Elena and her friend arrived. They are from Honduras and the Dominican Republic. Suzy had welcomed them in and I showed them their room, apologising the whole time about the "party". We warned them about Norah and oh my goodness, she did end up getting some of their food. Norah was very naughty yesterday as she knocked over Oli's 2 uncooked home made pizzas on to the floor from the kitchen top. It must have been just within her reach. She didn't get to eat it though as Oli was fast in shooing her away. The pizza bases were rescued and new toppings added but later no one wanted to eat them, knowing what had happened. Oh Norah, what a naughty dog you are. But oh why don't we learn our lesson?
The girls had their lunch outside but later came in and spent the time in one of the lounges. It was a sunny day but with quite a nip in the air. Eladio and I tried reading outside by the pool after our lunch and siesta but came indoors to escape the cold. The walk was cold too but as we walk at a brisk pace, I soon removed an outer jumper.
We came back to find the party over and the two Airbn guests gone out. Dinner was with the girls and Miguel and we ate the leftovers. I'm afraid I couldn't resist the wonderful brownies I had made. I really have found the perfect recipe - crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside but they are very addictive. Thus we went to bed with our stomachs full again.
Last night was the Eurovision Song Contest. None of us were particularly interested. There are far too many countries competing, the songs are generally "crxx" and the voting a joke. So we, at least, switched to Line of Duty. I love it but it seems to make Eladio fall asleep. Thus I watched it alone and in English.
This morning I was up at 5.50. I should have stayed in bed a bit longer but couldn't sleep so I got up and was first in the kitchen to feed our hungry dogs. Or maybe Norah wasn't so hungry but she will always eat hahha.
I read that Holland won the ESC and that Spain came 22nd - in its usual place - and that the UK came last.
As a teenager I loved watching the ESC. As a child, it was on too late to watch and we weren't allowed to watch it. Bu I remember creeping downstairs and sitting on the staircase with my brother George outside the lounge trying to hear what was going on while my parents were watching it. I used to like it when there were fewer countries and the voting was by a proper jury. What I really liked was the voting with the points in English and French. I once went to a ESC final and it was in Helsinki in 2007. I took a customer from Yoigo, our customer number 100.000 and we were able to go because TeliaSonera sponsored the event. It was quite something to be there and I will always remember it. But no, it's not what it was and I didn't really give a hoot about who would win this year. I have yet to hear the song from Holland.
And today is Sunday and I have come to the end of the tales of this week. Hope you enjoy the read. I'll be back again next Sunday. Cheers till then,
Masha
At about 6.40 when it was still very hot, Eladio, Pippa and I set off on our walk. Suzy stayed behind to talk to a bosom friend who had just arrived in Costa Rica, a friend she had made in Bali. She has friends all over the world and here in Montrondo and in Madrid she seems to want to catch up with everyone. At the same time she is missing what she calls her "brothers and sisters" from Indonesia. Her heart is torn between them and her friends and family in Spain. Apart from her lessons, she spent part of the day looking for extra work all in the teaching world via different online platforms. I must say she seems a lot more focused than she was when she came at Christmas. I think teaching may well be the career she pursues, rather than the one she was trained for; nutrition and dietetics. Recently she studied for and got her TEFL certificate which qualifies her to be a teacher of English. I also think she will make a great teacher. That day she was applying for full time teaching jobs, this time at schools, in Bali. Of course that means she is going to return there. It makes me sad to think she wants to live at the other end of the world but if she is happy there, what can I do? It's her life, not mine and I have to respect her decisions.
So went on our walk on our own. She was part of our conversation as our daughters nearly always are. We took the same path as the day before, the one we call "el camino valle" which goes to Murias, the next village, but on a path in the mountains and through charming woods and where there is not a soul apart from ourselves. I love it. It was the main activity of our day. Here I am just after Eladio closed the style, a very Montrondo type style I should say as it is closed with a long piece of rope. Pippa is in my arms so as to get into the photo. I am wearing my very flimsy summer jump suit I bought a couple of years ago at the market in Majadahonda and which is perfect for walks in the summer. Wearing it makes me feel like a girl again. A girl? Well, no, I am 62 but of course there is still a girl inside me. There always will be.
 |
| On our walk on Tuesday |
It was late when we got back, almost 8.30 pm but there was no rush to make dinner. There we are so relaxed we even don't mind breaking our routines. Oli would be happy to hear that as she hates our routines haha. But they are necessary if we want to have free time. The more organised you are, I have found over the years, the more time you are able to make for yourself. Usually I am so busy, but in Montrondo I was able to relax and wind down after so much hectic work over my father's 100th birthday, something I can now see I sorely needed.
So we made dinner together leisurely, one of the nicest moments of the day. Cooking that way is also fun and relaxing. I made a big Spanish potato and onion tortilla which we had with spinach. I also had a glass of white wine. Suzy pointed out that I shouldn't be having wine and normally I don't but there again I was breaking another norm and didn't really care. In fact, I think wine at night helps me sleep better. However, I would go back to being a teetotaler when we got home. In Montrondo everything is allowed and at home I am more strict about my calorie and alcohol intake.
Eladio didn't want to watch TV that night, preferring to read and Suzy was on the phone as she seems to be most of the time. Thus, that night I got to choose what I wanted to watch on Netflix and I also got to be able to watch in English. I chose to restart Line of Duty. Everyone is mad about it in England. We had started watching it a while back but hadn't really got into it. So that night I gave it another try. Suzy later joined me and the two of us were up until past midnight having watched the first two episodes. I must say now I like it and have 4 whole seasons to watch.
Wednesday came, our last full day in Montrondo and also the last day of good weather all over Spain. Thursday would bring colder temperatures and rain. Just when we had got used to beautiful summer weather, it was to go again. Well, that's May for you; always unpredictable or as Maria was described by the other nuns in The Sound of Music "unpredictable as weather".
Wednesday was 15th May, Saint Isidro in Madrid and a holiday in the Spanish capital. But I wouldn't be celebrating. I can't celebrate anything on this day. All I can do is remember it was the day of the passing away of my dear brother George. He died of melanoma on 15th May 2001 aged just 46. If he had lived, he would be 64 now. He was taken too early in life. Life was unfair to him and to us as a family. We have missed him ever since. His dear Serbian wife, Sanya, missed him so much, she let herself die just a few years later after a bout of pneumonia. They lie together at a cemetery in Finchley in London, two souls who were troubled in life but who found love finally although for a very short time. My only consolation is that my mother was not alive to bear the death of her son. Not so my father, who bears the tragedy as I do too. George was 6 ft tall, a handsome, blue eyed blonde boy with a great figure and a huge talent for languages, music and sport but he was a troubled boy and life dealt him the wrong cards. I always felt guilty, that I, a lot less talented than him, was dealt the right cards. Where is the balance I ask myself? With a sigh I tell you here that he lives on in my heart but that I miss him always.
 |
| With my dear brother George in Guadalest (Spain) in the early 70's. |
Life continued as normal in Montrondo. It was another quiet day. We love being there but so does Pippa, our spoiled miniature chocolate dachshund who is the apple of my eye. She follows me everywhere. In Montrondo she has her favourite spots and the corner of the wall opposite our kitchen door is one of them. It seemed like she was posing for me when she sat there on Wednesday so I got my phone out and snapped away. I wonder how many photos I have of her? Many more than of my family hahaha.
 |
| Pippa perched on one of her favourite spots outside the house in Montrondo |
We had lunch and then rested again. Suzy had to continue working as after each session of lessons she has to give in reports. She chose to work from the terrace outside the kitchen and I caught her on camera too.
 |
| Suzy working outside in Montrondo |
Eladio took to mowing the front lawn and with Suzy busy, it was only Pippa and me on the walk that day. We went alone but we enjoyed it. Everything seemed coloured in yellow from the flowering of the bracken to the daisies, dandelions and lovely buttercups everywhere.
 |
| Yellow everywhere on our path |
 |
| Pippa on our walk on Wednesday |
 |
| Cows in the field on our walk grazing peacefully |
Meanwhile, Oli had arrived in far away Huesca in the Spanish Pyrenees. She was going for work purposes but was accompanied by her partner Miguel so it would be an enjoyable work trip. We wouldn't see her until the weekend when on Saturday we would celebrate her birthday early as on the actual day, 22nd May, she would be away reporting in Valencia. She does seem to get around Spain a lot these days. We did miss her a lot in Montrondo I must say.
 |
| Oli and Miguel in Huesca this week |
It was rush job to have breakfast, shower, etc, pack up, close doors and windows but we were in the car by 7.30. We had to be home by 11.55 at the latest and we made it. Eladio drove at breakneck speed and I hope we don't get a speeding fine.
In the end we were home by 11.45, well on time for Suzy's lessons. As we unpacked, she rushed up to the conservatory to prepare for her session. I had to go into take her a cup of coffee and caught her on camera just as she had started her first class to a young Chinese pupil. Her pupils are aged 4 to 11. It must be very challenging teaching 4 year old Chinese kids who have no previous knowledge of English but she fares well. She uses all sorts of props and gives fun lessons. One of her mantras is that learning with fun is the best way to learn. Her pupils certainly seem to like her dynamic lessons. She uses all sorts of props to make the lessons more entertaining and even dresses up. That day she wore a huge pair of specs with no lenses to make her look more like a teacher:-) Here she is on camera our budding teacher who seems to be making a great job of this new career. She hasn't abandoned her real profession, nutrition and dietetics, but right now her main source of income comes from teaching. I'm so proud of her.
 |
| Suzy the teacher! |
Suzy and I were planning on going out to buy Oli's birthday present that afternoon but got caught up applying for another job for her - teaching small Spanish kids English at what looks like an organisation which is right up her street and whose philosophy is learning by using fun methods. We didn't finish until after 5 pm and when we left we hit the school traffic. We went to the local shopping centre, Centro Oeste, where I hadn't been for quite a while. We made our purchases, a present for Oli from each of us and then went food shopping to Carrefour Market. On our way home we went to a Chinese shop to get more props for Suzy's lessons. I got a birthday card and fun candles for Oli's birthday party this weekend.
We had to rush home if we wanted to watch Oli live on TV. We were just on time. She was on three times talking about a water problem in villages in Huesca. The water was contaminated and villagers had to source water from a public pump just like in Victorian times. I have to say Oli was looking stunning. She had styled her hair beautifully, the red lipstick she wore suited her, as did her ever growing bump which she proudly displayed while reporting professionally as she always does. Isn't she gorgeous? I'm so proud of both my daughters.
 |
| Oli reporting live for TVE from Huesca on a contaminated water issue in villages in the area |
We went to bed a bit later than usual and continued watching Line of Duty. Eladio, unfortunately fell asleep but I continued watching and I must say I do like the series.
I woke up at about 6.45 on Friday morning. The first thing I saw in my phone was yet another 5 star review from an Airbnb guest, this time from a man called Sandy who is from Hong Kong. He had come to see his sun studying at the local university but we hadn't met him as he was here while we were in Montrondo. I must say his words encouraged me a lot. Reviews like this make all the effort I put into hosting worth the while. Thank you Sandy.
 |
| Another lovely 5 star review from an Airbnb guest |
 |
| A beautiful brownie cake for Oli's birthday party on Saturday |
Suzy had an important day on Friday. In the afternoon after her lessons and a late lunch, off she went for her first singing lesson. She is going to have vocal lessons at Marand Musical, a music academy that belongs to Carmen and Mapi. Carmen was my communications assistant when I worked at Nokia. She left the job 16 years ago to set up the music school with her partner Mapi and it has gone from strength to strength. I would have loved to have gone with her but she had an appointment later with a new pupil so it didn't make sense. She is a great singer and Eladio and I both regret not having done more for her when she was much younger. We did try a bit but not enough.
Meanwhile I got a sudden new Airbnb reservation at around 4 pm from a Chinese guest called Jack which is probably not his real name. He arrived at around 6.30 just as we were leaving for our walk so I had to go back into our house to welcome him in. He would occupy Andy our Scottish lodger's room who is away for a few days. Also that day, Javi, our longstanding physiotherapist guest arrived. He would occupy the green room. That day I checked all was clean and in order in his room while putting a plate of fruit and some flowers in his room. I also checked the terrace and while there realised just what a wonderful view that room has of the garden at the back. So I snapped a picture and this is it. You can spot Elsa our lab in the photo peacefully lying on the kitchen patio. As the name of the room suggests, the view was much in line; very green too at this time of year of course.
 |
| The very green view from the "green room". |
We came home just as Oli and Miguel were arriving back from Huesca which is quite a drive from Madrid. Suzy arrived a few minutes later, ecstatically happy from her singing lesson. She was pleased with her first private English lesson too a new pupil. We were a happy bunch at dinner that night which we made all together. With Oli's permission, we had the small brownie for dessert and wow was it fudgy and delicious. The dogs wanted their share but wouldn't get it I'm afraid as sugar is not good for them. Here is Eladio eating his brownie with both Elsa and Norah at his side. It made for a great photo.
 |
| Dinner on Friday - both dogs, Norah and Elsa angling for some of Eladio's brownie |
We all went to bed after that except for Suzy. She had yet another date with yet another friend later that night at around 10.30. People go out so late in Spain. We stayed in and watched another episode of "Monteperdido" on RTVE and later a bit more of Line of Duty.
Saturday came and it would start with a family birthday breakfast for Oli. It was funny to celebrate her birthday that day, 18th May, when her real birthday is next week on the 22nd. She chose churros and the thicker version, "porras" with thick chocolate to dunk them in for her breakfast. Eladio and I went out to get them and we were all at the table by 9 am, my father included. Oh he loves birthdays. The churros were delicious as they always are but very filling. After the churros came our card and presents, a topaz silver ring from Aristocrazy which Oli told me she wanted. It's much better to buy her things you know she wants, otherwise anything else will only get changed at the shop hahaha. This is what happened with the blouse Suzy bought for her sister. Here are Oli and Miguel at breakfast on Saturday with Pippa in my daughter's arms. She just has to get in every picture.
 |
| Oli's birthday celebrations getting off to a start yesterday morning. |
I spent a lot of the morning replying to more cards from my father's old pupils. I haven't quite finished. I have about 10 to go but then he did receive nearly 60 cards. It may seem old fashioned to reply to birthday cards but I was brought up to do so and if people made the effort, it is up to me to thank them. I just had to reply to the lovely words written by his "old boys" some of whom are quite old themselves now. I only wish I had had their testimony too for his biography. So that day I was in touch with quite a few including the Fenton and Perrott brothers and a former pupil and colleague, Mr. Stoney . My father remembered them all. One of them wrote back to say "all we knew was that he (my father) was exceptional and had an ability to inspire affection and respect. There is no doubt at all he is a very special man" Isn't that lovely?
The kitchen was full of the girls cooking but I found a space to make lunch for Eladio, my father and I. I have to add I wasn't at all hungry or very inspired so resorted to "spagbol" as we call spaghetti bolognese here. Just as we were finishing the two new guests, Elena and her friend arrived. They are from Honduras and the Dominican Republic. Suzy had welcomed them in and I showed them their room, apologising the whole time about the "party". We warned them about Norah and oh my goodness, she did end up getting some of their food. Norah was very naughty yesterday as she knocked over Oli's 2 uncooked home made pizzas on to the floor from the kitchen top. It must have been just within her reach. She didn't get to eat it though as Oli was fast in shooing her away. The pizza bases were rescued and new toppings added but later no one wanted to eat them, knowing what had happened. Oh Norah, what a naughty dog you are. But oh why don't we learn our lesson?
The girls had their lunch outside but later came in and spent the time in one of the lounges. It was a sunny day but with quite a nip in the air. Eladio and I tried reading outside by the pool after our lunch and siesta but came indoors to escape the cold. The walk was cold too but as we walk at a brisk pace, I soon removed an outer jumper.
We came back to find the party over and the two Airbn guests gone out. Dinner was with the girls and Miguel and we ate the leftovers. I'm afraid I couldn't resist the wonderful brownies I had made. I really have found the perfect recipe - crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside but they are very addictive. Thus we went to bed with our stomachs full again.
Last night was the Eurovision Song Contest. None of us were particularly interested. There are far too many countries competing, the songs are generally "crxx" and the voting a joke. So we, at least, switched to Line of Duty. I love it but it seems to make Eladio fall asleep. Thus I watched it alone and in English.
This morning I was up at 5.50. I should have stayed in bed a bit longer but couldn't sleep so I got up and was first in the kitchen to feed our hungry dogs. Or maybe Norah wasn't so hungry but she will always eat hahha.
I read that Holland won the ESC and that Spain came 22nd - in its usual place - and that the UK came last.
 |
| The results of this year's ESC |
And today is Sunday and I have come to the end of the tales of this week. Hope you enjoy the read. I'll be back again next Sunday. Cheers till then,
Masha
No comments:
Post a Comment