Santa Pola for a late summer break, swimming in the sea in October and why I love Spain, time with Suzy, Elliot grows, Quo Vadis Boris Johnson and other stories.

Sunday 13th October, 2019

At one of my favourite spots - on the cliffs by the lighthouse 

Good morning everyone.

Here I am in our Santa Pola at our apartment. We will be leaving later this morning after a lovely late summer break by the sea.

Last Sunday saw us set off for here with Suzy and little Pippa. I suppose I should have written "autumn break" as it is autumn but the weather is so good it feels like summer. The weather people on the television are referring to it as "veroño" - a mixture of the two words "verano" (summer) and "otoño (autumn). We hadn't been since February so that's quite a while. We had been meaning to come in the summer but there never seemed to be the right time. Plus of course Elliot was due to arrive and no way could we be away for that. We would miss him here of course but spoke to Oli nearly everyday on a whatsapp video call so that we could see the little tot.

We set off at about 10.30 with a car full of luggage and lots of food. I didn't want to have to do food shopping when we arrived so took as much with me as possible. Here are Suzy and Pippa ready to go.

Suzy and Pippa just as we set off last Sunday

Suzy hadn't been since October 2018 and was looking forward to time at our relaxing pad near the sea which we bought 20 years ago. Gosh I remember it as if it were yesterday. I had just been given severance pay after 9 years with Motorola and we decided to invest in a property by the sea.  We have never regretted that decision. It's a modest little place but we have grown to love it.

On the way we stopped for lunch at the Parador in Albacete, a sleepy big town famous for making steel which is nobody's destination as it is pretty ugly. Maybe its inhabitants don't agree but for me it's just a stopping place on the way to Alicante. However, we love the Parador which is situated on the outskirts.

We arrived at our flat to 28c at about 4.30 and everything was in order. It took us about an hour to clean the floors and surfaces, unpack and settle in. Eladio was tired after the long drive but Suzy, Pippa and I wanted a walk and that's what we got.

We set off for the lighthouse over the cliffs with its great viewing point of  the little island of Tabarca which we have recently rediscovered.

The view from the cliffs

I always love that walk and so does Suzy. When we first came it was a pretty unknown spot with not many people around. Recently, however, two ugly pier like bridges have been built which are a total eyesore. I always ignore them. However, they have attracted people and there were quite a few around that evening, being a Sunday. We ignored them and walked a bit further away to admire the views and take some pictures. Usually I go alone with Pippa and have to take a selfie. That day I had Suzy to take the photos. I have chosen one of them as the main photo for this week's post as it's a place I love, so relaxing and beautiful. Here is another one of me kissing Pippa, my adored little miniature dachshund.

Pippa and I on the cliffs

It's just over an hour's walk there and back and we were home by just after 7 pm. Eladio was sitting on our little terrace and we could see him from the Mediterranean garden which surrounds our blocks of flats. See if you can spot him.

Spot Eladio looking out of our terrace 

It was very warm on our walk and I came home to have a shower. I then sat with Eladio on the terrace catching up on my social media. That's when I realised I had been bitten by mosquitoes. There are not usually many here and especially not at this time of year but this week there have been. When I went to take Pippa out later that night, I was bitten alive. That was the unpleasant part of our time here. The next day I went to the chemist to get insect repellent and mosquito bite relief cream. That's when I heard from the pharmacist that there are swarms of them caused apparently by the devastating freak weather and flooding that happened a few weeks ago. I also read later that as the world gets warmer, owing to climate change, one of the horrible consequences is plagues of mosquitoes. I was horrified. 

We had a lovely meal of prawns with avocado and mango salad followed by fresh figs - how healthy and delicious after which we called Olivia. It was great to see little Elliot feeding at her breast and to talk to Oli and Miguel.

Later we watched the news. There is a lot of tension around what will happen on 31st October vs a vs Brexit. Oh how the subject gets me down. Doesn't it get you down?

Thankfully the film we watched that night took my mind off it. We were up till past midnight watching a film about a dangerous sect in the Canary Islands in the late 90's and then it was time for bed.

I was awake a t 7 am on Monday morning.  It looked wet outside as if it had rained during the night but on closer inspection I saw it was dew as there is a lot of condensation here owing to the sticky climate in the area. 26ºc which was the temperature it reached here on Monday is warm for the coast. As Suzy had lessons from 12 to 3 the days she was here, we fitted into her timetable, going to the beach or for a walk in the morning and making lunch for when she finished. Thus at around 9.30 am we were down by the beach and amazingly had it more or less to ourselves. There was no fighting for front line space which happens in July and August. The temperature was perfect and the sea water was crystal clear, calm and not at all cold as I realised when I went in. I hadn't swum in the sea since last summer and loved the moment my skin touched the clean water. Here I am about to go in.

On a nearly empty beach on Monday morning

The beach we usually go to is called Arenales del Sol and has two parts, one built up and the other which is a natural beach with dunes and absolutely no buildings. We choose the latter always. I couldn't persuade Suzy or Eladio to join me although I did manage to get my husband to go in later. We took Pippa with us although dogs are not allowed on this beach and on very few in Spain - unfair! We wouldn't dare take her to it in the high season but I don't care when it is low season. I don't think the other people care either. I mean, why cannot dogs go on beaches, a natural habitat for them? Spain is such a non dog friendly country and yet has a high percentage of owners, I just don't get it. There are very few places to take them. Where we have our apartment, they are not allowed by the pool either nor in the gardens surrounding the buildings. Where are they supposed to go then I ask myself? So on Monday Pippa enjoyed her walk and time on the beach even though it was illegal for her to be there. Damn it.

Soon we were on our walk  to the far end of the natural beach to the rocks where people fish except that day there was no one there. It was only when we were back at our chairs which by the way have stood the time very well as we bought them 20 years ago, that after seeing me go in the water again, Eladio copied me and went in too. Here he is enjoying his moment, his first bathe this year too.

Eladio in the sea on Monday

 A friend, Joanne, commented on the photos above which I also posted on Instagram,  saying "You are lucky. We need a wet suit to even think about going to the sea". My friend Sandra commented on the photo of me by the lighthouse saying: "seems odd to see you by the sea in a t-shirt. Have the heating on in Brussels and walking the dog in my winter rain attire! Time to plan a southern retirement".  Our dear Danish friend Pernille, commented on the photo of me in the sea: "That's why I love Spain". It's why I love Spain too, because of its climate. I could never have known when I was s teenager coming here and enjoying the good weather that I would end up living in Spain. For me as a teenager, sunny weather was something only to be found on a holiday abroad. No wonder so many retired people come to live on the "Costas". I don't blame them. On days like these I too think that this is one of the reasons why I also love Spain.

I could have stayed there all morning but we had to leave at 11.30 for Suzy to get ready for her lessons. She is lucky working for Dada as she can work anywhere provided she has an internet connection. At the apartment we don't have wifi as we don't come often enough so we use our mobile phones as wifi hotspots and it works a treat. We came home to have a shower; Pippa and I that is and then Eladio and I had a well deserved cup of coffee and some fruit before going out on errands. We had to go and arrange for some curtains that had been mended at a shop where we took them back in February to be installed that day at home. We then went to the ubiquitous Mercadona to get a few things we had forgotten to bring from home and then came home to slowly make lunch. Eladio took the time to paint the windows where the curtains would be installed.

Lunch was lovely and was made with no rush which is how I like to cook. After lunch we all took a siesta and I was up again at 5 where I joined Suzy on the terrace. She suggested a walk to the beach but I felt lazy. It's not far at all but as our apartment is on a cliff it's a steep walk down and up. I spent the afternoon lazily reading a detective story. I only went out to take Pippa down to the garden a couple of times, well aware she is not allowed there. But where else can I take her when she needs a physical break I asked myself?

Suzy was back just before the "curtain man" who came at around 8 pm. He was going to take a while so we set about making a big salad for dinner which we would have with ham. Suzy says I eat too much ham - she is vegan. Later we watched the news, a silly film and were in bed by 11 pm.

I fought the mosquito bite itching during the night a couple of times and was up on Tuesday at 7 a.m. We aimed to go the beach that morning but the gas man came to inspect the installations so we were held up. As Suzy was running out of time for her lessons, we went for a walk to the lighthouse instead. Suzy features in my headline this week. We have had quality time with her which is a good and necessary thing as I am well aware her 6 months with us are coming to a close. She will be returning to her new life in Bali on 24th October and we will miss her so much. It's just too far away. This week I read there are investments in a new airplane that will take just one hour from London to New York. I don't suppose it will be in my lifetime although I wish it would, but shortening travel times is just a question of time and technology. Over a 100 years ago people still traveled with a horse and cart, cars were a luxury few could afford and there was hardly any if no  commercial air travel. How things have changed today in just one century. The advance of technology is speeding up so fast these days, I have no doubt that in the future travel may well become instant. Wouldn't that be great? Suzy says it won't but I think it will. If it was available today I would be able to go round and see her anytime and swim with her on a beach in Bali. Maybe Elliot will see that in his lifetime.

Talking of Elliot, on Tuesday, Oli and Miguel took him to the pediatrician for his weekly check up. He had put on weight and also had grown from 53 cm at birth to 55 cm. He eats all the time so I can only imagine him becoming a very tall boy. Just look at his legs at 3 weeks old.

Long legged Elliot at 3 weeks old

With those legs he will make a good sportsman too and no doubt his father who is very sporty, and his mother, will bring him up to be an active young boy. Maybe he will play basketball, who knows? His father is a cross fit fan and a very good swimmer so let's see what sport Elliot likes when he grows.

Our only sport is walking but that is a very healthy thing and that morning, as I said, we walked to the lighthouse and back which takes just over an hour. This time we had Suzy to take a photo of us with little Pippa on the edge of the cliffs looking out onto the ocean. Here is one I love.

Eladio, Pippa and I on the cliffs near the lighthouse

I caught Suzy on camera too when I took this photo of her on the pier like bridge on the cliffs. I don't like the structure but have to admit the views from there are superb.

Suzy looking out at the sea from the bridge by the cliffs

The temperature reached 27º c that day and when we got home I needed a shower. I also needed one to relieve the awful itching on my legs from the damned mosquitoes. I was wearing insect repellent but hadn't put any on my face and got two bites, one on my cheek and one on my scalp; a second one. Oh how I hate them. Why is it only me who gets bitten? Eladio never does. They probably prefer my whiter skin damn them. Later I counted and I had over 25 bites on my body!

We spent the rest of the morning leisurely while Suzy taught. I could hear peels of laughter while she did fun activities with her little Chinese children. She has told me they hardly have time to play; it's all work for them with little time off and that they spend most of their time studying. Poor them.

I made our lunch; fish with lots of veggies to make Suzy happy and we watched the news while eating, something we never do at home. The news that day was depressing. Angela Merkel and Boris Johnson had a phone call about his plan with the contentious Irish border issue and she told him Europe would mot approve it. He is blaming the EU but this is not a blaming game. Later Donald Tusk, the President of the European council, tweeted: "what's at stake is not some stupid blame game. At stake is the future of Europe and the UK as well as the security and interests of our people". He added something I suspect is true and if it is- it's awful: "You don't want a deal, you don't want an extension, you don''t want to revoke, quo vadis? He used the term "quo vadis" meaning where are you going? I imagine because Boris Johnson is a great classics fan and is always using Latin terms, in that rather superior Etonian way. Yes Boris, I ask you "where are you going, where are you leading us too, to doom?

The other news was not good either; the impeachment process of Donald Trump, huge demonstrations in Ecuador over fuel subsidy cuts which saw the government move from Quito to Guayaquil, Trump backing Erdogan, Turkey's premier, in attacks against Kurds, more unrest in Hong Kong and the bad news went on. I always wonder why it is nearly only bad news that is reported on when I am sure there are lots of positive things that we don't hear much about. For instance, there has been progress in the combat of alzheimer  with the discovery of a new medicine that could halt loss of memory. In my mind if the two most deadly diseases, alzheimer and cancer could be overcome then that would be the best news of the century. I trust it will come, maybe not in my life but hopefully in Elliot's. I love to see advances in science to combat medical diseases. A few decades ago when I was younger, Aids was the great curse and that is no longer the case, so I think there is hope for alzheimer and cancer. I sincerely hope I am right. 

In the afternoon while Eladio slept his Spanish siesta, Suzy and I set off for the beach with Pippa. We decided to walk down. It would be the first time I have walked there. It's not far, just a few minutes in the car but our apartment is high up on a cliff and although it looks over the sea and seems very near the walk is quite long. I always wish they would build a straight path then the walk would be much shorter. They could even build a lift or cable car. Now that would be a great idea. The walk did us good but it was hot at 5 pm and I was dying for a swim when we got to the beach; Playa de Carabasi, the nearest one to our house. There were some people there but not many. I far prefer the beach out of season. Well who doesn't? But not everyone has the luxury of choosing when to go like we do.

Suzy and I read sitting on our towels in the sand and an hour or so later my husband came looking for us. By then it was getting cool but hey I thought, 24ºc at 19.15 is pretty amazing. As a friend told me later, at that time in the UK it would be dark. Not here, yet, another reason I love Spain, for all the light in the day that we get.  Just before we left, I caught, Suzy, laughing her head off, Eladio and Pippa on camera. I love the picture don't you?

On the beach at 19.15 with sun on Tuesday evening

We left shortly afterwards and I came home to have my shower feeling very hungry after all the exercise and sea breeze. That night I made tortilla for dinner which is always popular. Later we watched the depressing news again. Not having a smart TV to watch Netflix on, we went to bed to read on our kindles but not before video calling Oli and Miguel to see little Elliot. Bless the little sweetie, he was asleep in Miguel's arms. Oli warned us his peacefulness would end shortly when they went to bed which is generally when he wakes up hahaha.

I slept with lots of insect repellent on - what a stink - but I woke up, thankfully with no more bites although there would me more later.  Wednesday was to be Suzy's last day with us. She would be leaving that evening as on Thursday her friend, Sandra, was coming from London to see her for a few days. We stayed on  to get the most of the best weather here, although the weather in Madrid has been just as good.

Our intention was to go the beach that morning but the damned Volvo wouldn't start. It plays that trick sometimes and so far mechanics don't know what is wrong with it. Thus Eladio had to call the insurance company for a man to come out and get it to start. Meanwhile, Suzy and I decided to spend the time by the pool which belongs to the complex of buildings where we have our apartment. Unlike public pools in most of Spain that close on 15th September and only open again on 15th June, the one here is open for most of the year. We were lucky as we had it to ourselves. See if you can spot Suzy sunbathing in this photo below.

The pool we share with the other apartments - spot Suzy

After the man had come about the car which he had got to start and told Eladio the problem was the automatic starter, Eladio joined us. He left the car on a downhill slope just in case it wouldn't start again. Here he is sitting a reading on the grass with views of the sea behind him. It's such a peaceful place to be I don't know why we don't spend more time there.

Eladio reading by the pool on Wednesday

Olivia and Elliot were also out and about that morning in Madrid enjoying the October sunshine. She sent us some lovely photos of her and Elliot with his eyes wide open. It's possible he bears more of a resemblance to his father than to her but only time will tell. What a big little chap he is becoming. Here they are together.

Mummy Olivia and her baby, little Elliot

The rest of the day was spent very lazily and we didn't get our walk in. After lunch Suzy walked down to the beach to get her last few hours of beach time. I didn't join her probably out of sheer laziness. I did go though with Eladio to pick her up. He was afraid the car wouldn't start but it did - have to get it mended.

Shortly afterwards we drove her to Alicante where she was to catch the high speed train to Madrid. She had a bit of an adventure getting home as the train was late which is unusual for the "Ave". That meant she missed the last bus to where we live and had to order a Uber. Thank God for Uber I say.

We didn't fall asleep until we knew she was safely home.  I slept fitfully owing to all the old and new mosquito bites. At times it felt like I had a small bout of malaria - I'm exaggerating but oh how they plague me. I do wish some sort of ointment or medication could be invented that really puts a stop to the itching but nothing really works properly. Eladio, on the other hand, has hardly been bitten and where he has it doesn't itch. That proves they prefer the blood of fairer skinned people like me.

Thursday came and it was market day in Gran Alacant. We love buying the local fresh fruit and vegetables there but I also like to look at the clothes. I tried on a dress which didn't convince me, looked at some cheap blouses but decided I really didn't need anything. What interested me more were the baby clothes stalls now that I have a small grandson and at one of them I bought a lovely baby grow. I always dressed my babies in them and found them the most practical baby ware there is. Spaniards only use them as pyjamas; I used them all the time.

We bought lots of fruit and veg although this is not the best season for fruit. I far prefer summer fruit; peaches, etc but they are hard now. Here I am picking my own choice at one of the stalls.

At the fruit and veg market on Thursday

After shopping at the market we decided to go out for the day. There are plenty of choices but I nearly always want to go to the same place; to Callosa, Algar or Bollula, the area where my mother and Auntie Masha bought a house each in 1972. It's also the area where Eladio and I fell in love in the summer of 1980 so it means an awful lot to me. We decided on Algar, a lovely enclave in an orange grove gorge in the mountains that has spectacular waterfalls and natural pools with very cold water. We also like to go there for lunch and use one of the swimming pools either at Casa Marcos or at Don Juan de Algar. We went to the latter as the former was closed down for October which is the month of the "fiestas" in Callosa.

We got there by just after 1.30 and decided to have lunch immediately. We were given a table by the pool and were the first guests. Here are Eladio and Pippa at the table by the pool.

Eladio at Algar sitting down for lunch with Pippa under his chair

I do love the setting and remember many happy times there as a teenager, as a love struck young girl and  later as a young mother when we took the girls there when on holiday at my aunt's house in Bolulla. Oh if only my aunt, my mother and my brother could have risen from their graves to be with us on Thursday. Oh, how I miss them.

My mother would have loved our choice of food: "arroz señoret" a type of paella where the seafood is shelled as she adored rice. This was it and we polished off three quarters of it, taking back the rest in a "doggy bag".

Our "arroz señoret" at Algar on Thursday

We used to go there a lot and I remember the swimming pool being opened in the 70's. It's still going strong.

The pool at Algar

That's where we headed after our lunch and where we stayed all afternoon. I would have liked to visit the waterfalls and swim in the natural pools but Eladio wasn't keen. I would also have liked to visit Bolulla afterwards and have dinner there for old times sake but we didn't this time. I sat in the sun reading occasionally going into the empty pool to cool off every now and again while Eladio slept his siesta on one of the sunbeds.

We left at around 7 am, before sunset and headed off home down the very familiar road towards Benidorm and past the picturesque villages of my youth, Polop and La Nucia. Just before we got home we went to the local Mercadona to get more provisions as our cupboards were a bit bare after so many days here. We had a very simple but delicious dinner of ham and salad, a dinner we have possibly too often - Suzy tells me I shouldn't eat so much ham:(

We later watched the news. It was on Thursday that the Nobel Literature prize or prizes - as there were two winners - were announced. I think there were two as owing to the scandal there had been no prize last year. The prizes for 2018 and 2019 went to authors I'm afraid I had never heard of which is often the case. They went to a Polish woman author Olga Tokarczuk and German author Peter Handke. I later read he had delivered a eulogy at Slobodan Milosevic's funeral - the former Serbian leader of Yugoslavia who is famous for his vicious war crimes.  Frankly, I think they could have found a more deserving candidate, not an advocate of Milosevic and his cronies.

Later we watched a programme called El Hormiguero where the extreme far right candidate for the upcoming general elections, Santiago Abascal was interviewed and which caused a bit of controversy in this country.  He surprised me when he came across as quite human when the media have painted him a fascist.  I  watched until I felt my eyes shutting and it was time for bed. We had had a lovely day.

Friday came and we had another break down, this time it was our 20 year old washing machine. Eladio battled with it for most of the day and realised the problem was that it wouldn't rinse so the pump must be faulty. Thankfully he found a repair company who sent a chap later in the evening to change the pump for a new one. The service was fast and efficient but at an extortionate price.

That morning we went down to the beach again and spent a couple of hours there enjoying our time. I swam a couple of times but there were far too many waves so I couldn't go too far in. Eladio and Pippa stayed on the sand watching me. Here they are.

Eladio and Pippa on the beach on Friday morning

It was a bit cloudy when I took the photo but later the sun came out. We didn't go back up to the flat till quite late having enjoyed a walk and a bathe - me at least - on the beach. I made lunch; fresh fish and vegetables after which we watched the news as we do everyday. The main items that day were to do with the removal of Franco's remains from the Valley of the Fallen mausoleum near El Escorial just outside Madrid. It has been a long process since Pedro Sánchez announced the move when he first came into power. As during the Civil War, Spain today is still divided on the question. It hasn't actually happened yet but should do before 25th October, despite protests from his family and from the Prior at the Basílica where he is interred. Brighter news came from Norway when the Nobel peace prize was announced that day. There was much expectation that it would go to the climate activist, 16 year old Greta Thunberg but she didn't win it, at least not this year.

The Nobel Peace prize for 2019 went to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed Ali for "his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, an in particular for his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighbouring Eritera. I know nothing about the politician but if he has contributed to the end of what is more like a civil war that has lasted for decades between Ethiopia and Eritrea then he gets my applause too as the new peace laureate.

Abiy Ahmed Ali, P.M. of Ethiopia and this year's Nobel Peace prize winner

The other news, also local, has to do with the upcoming sentence on the instigators of the illegal referendum for independence in Catalonia. It looks like the sentence will be announced next week and whatever the outcome there will be protests. The government is preparing for them with a huge police contingency. Oh what a mess. This is Spain's Brexit and it will never go away.

I read my detective story on the terrace afterwards while Eladio slept. Later we went into Santa Pola, the town, on a couple of errands and came back just before the washing machine plumber arrived. Thank God it works again and that we didn't have to buy a new one.

Meanwhile. at home, new Airbnb guests arrived, a repeat guest, Noel, from Málaga and someone called David from Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Thankfully Lucy took care of them. Suzy was out with her friend, Sandra, a nurse with whom she lived with in London just before she left for Bali. That night Suzy spent time with Oli, Elliot and Miguel and rewarded me with a photo. Oh how I love to see them together.

Suzy with Oli, Elliot and Miguel on Friday evening

Saturday came and it was a national holiday although it didn't feel like it around here.  12th October is the feast of the Virgin of Pilar, the patron saint of the city of Zaragoza and of the armed forces as well as the anniversary of Christopher Columbus discovering America.  Thus there would be lots of military processions. It is also the national day of Spain but that is focused on less. In Spain there is little sense of patriotism so "El Pilar" as it is often known is nothing like 14th July in France for example. Any flags hung out by people  are ironically associated with the far right and with fascism. Isn't that stupid? In other countries people are proud of their nation's flag but not in Spain I'm afraid.

Eladio was glued to the TV watching the processions. He has a penchant for the military. Eladio, as you know is a philosopher and is quite academic. However, he has some strange tastes or should I say different tastes to me or contrasting ones for an academic.  Some of these are: boxing, military processions and a silly programme on the TV called "First Date". He is fascinated with animals as I am but has  a much better stomach for violence than I do. One of his favourite things is watching You Tube videos of wild life. I love these too. For example yesterday he was watching a video of a zebra giving birth after which predators were hovering around ready to snatch the new born zebra. Well, that I couldn't watch but he carried on, looking engrossed. He has also become slightly addicted to the Google News feed on his mobile phone which, unlike me, he has not tailored to his interests. Thus, often, he comes up with the most bizarre information to share with me. It makes me laugh. I do love him so. Yesterday I had to interrupt him from the processions to go on our walk and he happily joined me, knowing he could watch more when we got back.

It was a warm day but cloudy and not having walked very much here, we took the road to the lighthouse cliffs. I have taken so many photos there, I must be boring you. Well, here is one more, the last for this week. It's of the view to the open sea where the island of Tabarca is not very visible. We didn't go there this time but it's one of our favourite places to visit.

The view from the lighthouse cliffs yesterday

On the way back to the apartment, I popped into the British supermarket, Quicksave, to get a few things to take home, products I can't get elsewhere. These included a big pack of polos for my Father - his favourite sweets - along with 2 bounty bars and 3 toblerones. I also got decaf tea which should last me a while as well as a packet of sage and onion stuffing for Christmas!

Eladio continued watching the processions presided by the King of Spain. Missing were the authorities from the separatist areas of Spain, Catalonia and the Basque Country. Unfortunately, one of the main activities, a parachutist carrying the Spanish flag, went wrong. He was supposed to land at the feet of the King and entourage but unfortunately fell into a lamp post. He was mortified as he got up but was applauded wildly by the crowds.

Much more interesting for me was the news about the 34 year old marathon runner, Eliud Kipchoge. One of my penchants as you probably know is about sport in general or rather sports results. I was delighted to read that Kipchoge has become the first athlete to run a marathon in under two hours, beating the mark by 20 seconds. It took place in Vienna but will not be considered an official world record as it was not an open competition. But who cares? His feat was amazing. Imagine: 42 kilometres in under two hours. That meant he was running at 21km per hour and he's a man, not a cheetah. Actually a cheetah can run at over 90 km per hour. He must have been ecstatic yesterday. If people hadn't heard his name before, they know it now. Eliud Kipchoge, that's the man, the fastest in the world, although unofficially. His motto for the event was "I believe no human is limited". I like that.

Eliud Kipchoge yesterday at the finish line

The rest of our day was spent quietly. We hardly left the flat. I read a lot in the afternoon while Eladio watched his zebras or rather videos on the Spanish Civil War, his current passion. On the other side of the world, in Japan, the country was hit by the biggest typhoon in decades.

Spain was playing a qualifying match for the European cup with Norway last night. Football is another of Eladio's interests, although it's quite  mild compared to most Spaniards. I am interested in football results but don't care ,much for the actual matches. Funny aren't I? Well Spain should have easily beaten the Norwegians but the match ended in a draw 1-1. That was not a good result for the Spanish squad.

I interrupted Eladio watching the match to video call Oli and Miguel and little Elliot. It was so nice to catch up with them in Elliot land. The poor things are pretty exhausted from their sleepless nights. He does tend to cry at night but is quite content during the day. Here is a screenshot of Oli and her darling baby which I love.

Video call with Oli and Elliot last night.

I went to bed late last night after watching the end of a film about young Turkish girls, forced into marriage at an early age, two of who manage to escape to Istanbul. Later there was a documentary on missing women, or rather the abortion of baby girls which still goes on in India and other parts. The result today is that there are more men than women in many areas and thus fewer brides to choose from. It was very depressing.

I was in bed way past midnight and woke up this morning at 6 am, raring to go as we shall be going home this morning. I am keen to get home as soon as possible as I want to go and see Oli, Miguel and little Elliot who I haven't seen for more than a week.

Thus I will leave you and get on with all that needs doing before leaving, mostly cleaning, something I have no penchant for at all my friends.

Cheers till next week,
Masha