Last Sunday saw us still in Montrondo with my family and great friend Sandra. It was our last day and we made the most of it. Again the sun came out although it was frosty in the shade. That morning before everyone was ready for our long walk, Suzy and I accompanied Sandra around the part of the village she hadn't seen. We took her to "El Campo", the village green covered in frost but which comes alive in the sun. We wandered to the end of the village where the path stops and the mountains begin. There lives a farmer, Manolo, who was tending to his animals. We stopped to talk and I asked him to show us around his farm which he willingly did. Manolo, a bachelor who is in his 60's is a very hard worker who has countless amounts of cows and horses mainly. Suzy was sorry to hear they are all for meat and had a little conversation about the disadvantages of eating meat (hahahaha). We were lucky in that he had two mothers and their tiny calves to show us as well as a lone calf recovering from pneumonia who we were happy to hear was on the mend.
Seeing his farm and cattle is like seeing a scene from a hundred years ago. Things have hardly changed in this part of the world and it was fascinating for us. As we left, we wished him a Happy Kings Day and asked whether he would be receiving something for being good. He sadly told us he wasn't expecting anything, apart from perhaps a lottery win for the "el niño" lottery to be held on 6th January. That left me thinking if only I could bring him something. I must tell you that I owe not quite my life but my health to this man. It was a few years ago when I broke my leg up in on the mountain path which was full of snow and ice. It was Manolo who came to my rescue with his old 4x4 for which I am forever grateful.
From his house, the last in the village before the mountain path begins, we took Sandra down to the "Fleita" spring and the river below and from there to a restored old mill. My goodness was it cold. Here are Sandra and Suzy huddling together next to the mill.
That part of the village gets no sun at this time of year but just a few yards on, nearer our house, it does and it was a beautiful day. By then Oli, Miguel and Elliot were ready for their walk. It was then that I decided to take the only "roscón" (Kings' ring cake typical in Spain) which we had bought in León to eat on 6th January, to Manolo as his Kings' Day gift. He was very touched and invited us into have a coffee but we had planned to have ours in the sun at Senra.
Wishing him a happy Kings' Day again, off we went on the 4km walk to Senra. Sandra kept repeating how she loved the village with its blue sky. She was lucky with the weather as it isn't always like that.
We kept stopping to take pictures, like this one of the two of us with little Pippa who melted Sandra's heart during her stay with us.
Coffee at Senra was the highlight and the reward of our walk. Here we all are sitting at our tables outside Cumbres de Omaña, that of the grumpy man (hahaha).
We sat in the sun with our coffee for quite a long time enjoying the weather and our time together. Little Elliot woke up briefly but long enough for Miguel to take yet more photos of his "wife" and child. I particularly like this one of Oli kissing little Elliot.
We were home at nearly 2.30 and it was all hands to deck to make lunch. Thankfully we had Miguel's risotto they had made the day before when we were in León.
After lunch it was all hands to deck again, this time to pack up and leave which is always hard work. Eladio has a list on his phone of all the things to do before leaving and its quite extensive. By 5-15 or so we were in our cars and ready to go. Both men drove us to Madrid which is a 4 hour drive but that day made difficult by all the fog. There was no fog when we reached Madrid though and we could see the twinkling lights of the capital from the mountains.
Before going home, Eladio, Sandra, Pippa and I had to stop at our local supermarket to get a "roscón" and some emergency provisions to last us until the 7th. There was no roscón to be had at Carrefour Market so we went to the BM supermarket next door. There I fell and tripped in my haste to get one but thankfully did not hurt myself. We then drove to Lidl only to find it closed. Sandra remarked maybe I shouldn't have been so generous as to give ours to Manolo hahahhaa.
We came home to tell the story of my frantic search of the roscón to the girls who were beginning making our dinner that night. We did laugh about it over a lovely dinner. The day ended with Suzy, Sandra and I watching two more episodes of Messiah which were a bit weird, before we went to bed at well past midnight.
On Monday 6th January which is Kings' Day, I was awake at 6.45 and my mission for a roscón for the family breakfast would continue. Sandra and I went out in the car to find a bakery open and we were lucky. Our favourite pastry shop, Alverán, was open and had lots on sale. As usual we opted for a plain one and one with cream. Here is Sandra on our mission that morning.
 |
| Sandra at Alverán buying the roscón |
This is the cream one and my father's favourite. I, on the other hand, prefer to slice and toast the plain one and eat it with butter. Sandra commented later it tastes like "brioche". She is probably right.
 |
| The cream filled roscón. |
By 9.30 or so we were all at the table. First I had to have a photo before we all dug in hahahaha.
 |
| Kings' Day breakfast |
Then it was time for our little present opening ceremony by the tree, a repeat session of Christmas Day but on a much smaller scale with just a couple of presents each. Spaniards do it the other way round with just token gifts on Christmas Eve, the big day being Kings' Day. Sandra was fascinated to experience it. By the way it is called "Reyes" (Kings) here and the tradition is only held in Spain and in some Latin American countries. I have come to like it as it stretches Christmas out and in a way makes it go out with a bang. It does mean the children don't get their presents until the very end but then again they have an extra day off the next day to enjoy them. Kids went back to school on 8th January. I would also have loved to take Sandra to the big parade in town which is absolutely spectacular. There are parades in every village, town and city. Even the news programmes collude with the tradition by announcing the kings' arrival in the various towns and adding to the magic.
 |
| The Kings' Day presents waiting to be opened |
Miguel and Oli gave Eladio and I a wonderful techy gift, a bluetooth connector for our old music set speakers. Thus we had music playing all day and all from our phones. One of Oli's presents was a black hat. Here she is with it on looking quite smart. I wish I could wear a hat but I can't stand anything on my head as it gives me a headache.
 |
| Oli with her Kings' Day hat |
There were presents for Elliot too including a lovely interactive book from Sandra and a rattle from us. We were all very aware it was his first Kings' Day and Oli remarked that it would be him handing out the presents next year. After opening our presents, Eladio kept little Elliot amused while I went off to start on our lunch. Here they are together communicating.
 |
| Elliot and Eladio on Kings' Day in the morning |
It was a glorious sunny day but there would be no walk that morning as I had to have a roast lunch on the table by 2 pm with all the trimmings. I made roast lamb which turned out a treat. Here are Sandra, Oli, Elliot and Eladio posing by the table but dying to tuck in.
 |
| Our Kings' Day lunch table |
We all ate far too much as it was so delicious. My father especially enjoyed "the yorkshire" which turned out a treat. Later everyone went for a siesta but we girls; i.e. Suzy, Oli, Sandra and I, stayed at the table and spontaneously began to sing. The girls later gave us a wonderful recital and I taped some of the singing.
Here they are singing "Cante Corum", one of their school choir favourites. It was lovely to hear them singing again after so much time. Elliot loved it too when they sang and his mother pushed him in his pram in the kitchen trying to settle him hahahaha.
But he wasn't for sleeping and I later spent some quality "peak a boo" time with him on one of the sofas in the lounge. Oli snapped a few photos and this is one I particularly like of me and him communicating too.
 |
| Me communicating with little Elliot who clearly recognises me |
Soon it was time for our walk and we wanted to go out before it got dark. It gets dark here now at about 6.15 pm. So off we went in our old Volvo with Elliot in his mother's lap and Pippa in my lap in the front. We had to go in the Volvo as Miguel had taken Oli's car which has the baby seat. We just hoped we wouldn't be caught by the police (hahahaha). It was a bit risky and not very responsible. But there you are, we did it. The walk was worth it as was the scenery. We drove to nearby Boadilla and parked by the Palace and took the walk in the wood which is actually very very big and one can get completely lost there. We kept to the main paths though. It was cool and crisp but we were well dressed up and all of us were in need of some exercise. It was the perfect family activity for Kings' Day.
 |
| Our Kings' Day walk |
The sun was setting as we left and the sky was gorgeous. Here is a shot of the palace and surroundings against the pink sky.
 |
| Sunset in Boadilla |
Eladio lit the fire when we got home. Sandra and I watched another episode of Messiah, Suzy went out to see her friend Elenita and Miguel and Oli made our dinner. I was not at all hungry but as they served two home made pizzas we had to have a taste.
Later we all gathered in the tree lit room with all the decorations soon to be gone, enjoying the music on the new gadget Miguel had got us as a present. We went to bed at about 11.30. I wanted to watch the film "Boy Choir" with Dustin Hoffman. It was late but I watched it to the end and loved it.
Tuesday 7th January came. 7th January is Russian Christmas, a tradition I was brought up on as a child but that dwindled in importance as we grew up. We had other plans that day; a day out in Madrid with Sandra and lunch with her old flame, Robert and his girlfriend Andrea. We said goodbye to Oli and her family who went back to their flat. Suzy stayed at home of course as she had her lessons. Eladio, Sandra and I took the car to the nearest metro station and from their took the tube to Plaza España. I had to capture Sandra and Eladio on one of the escalators of the metro. We felt like real tourists and it's not often we go on the metro. Thankfully there were not too many people as on 7th January most people went back to work.
 |
| Sandra and Eladio at the metro |
What a beautiful day it was with a blue sky and the sun shining and not too cold. Our first stop was to have a coffee at the new Riu Hotel in Plaza España. We had it at the top, at the newly opened 360º rooftop bar. Going up was a bit like going up to the top of a New York skyscraper except that this was only 26 floors. But that was high enough for me as I don't like heights. It cost 5 euros just to go up but was well worth the money as the rooftop bar is beautiful and has amazing views. There was good visibility too that day. This week's feature photo is of me up at the top. Perhaps the most striking part of the bar is the glass bridge that separates the roof. I could hardly go across it because of my fear of heights and made sure I didn't look down.
 |
| The glass bridge on the rooftop bar is pretty impressive |
We walked all around the perimeter and the views were superb. We then ordered a very good but expensive coffee and had it sitting in the sun and enjoyed the views. We all had our photo taken. Here is Eladio looking dapper in his skinny jeans from Primark hahaha.
 |
| Eladio at the rooftop bar on Tuesday |
I have to add he was also wearing a red jumper to match my red dress (hahahaha) but that is from the Swedish brand Gant. Like me, he wears a mix of branded and non branded clothing. My usual choice for clothes is generally Zara, H+M, M+S, Primark and occasionally Mango. So, not very upmarket as compared to my smart friend Sandra.
Sandra was keen to shop and wanted to buy the same hat we had given Oli for "Reyes" from a shop called Parfois. We found it after we had met her friends Rob and Andrea at Callao. The branch was on Spain's most commercial street; "Preciados". Later I took a photo of her in the hat on our way back. She looks great.
 |
| Sandra's new hat, the same one as Oli's |
It was great to see Rob and Andrea who maybe need an introduction here. Rob is Canadian but has lived in the UK for many years. Sandra first met him in Nice in her year in France when we were at Nottingham University. Today Rob is a coach and from his Madrid base travels the world. Andrea is half Austrian and half Hungarian but has lived most of her life in the UK where she was a primary school teacher with maths being her main subject. Thus we were a very multi cultured group that day. Eladio and I had met Rob and Andrea last year at their house warming part in the centre of Madrid. We hope to see more of them.
We met at 13h and our lunch table was booked for 14h, so we had plenty of time to walk from Callao and Preciados. Preciados leads to the very centre of Spain, "Puerta del Sol" (sun gate) which is perhaps Madrid's most famous square and from where revelers bring in the New Year. Here too is the mulberry bush and bear a symbol of Madrid. The bear and the fruit tree statue is relatively new (1967) but the legend is much older dating back to the 13th century. For some reason the tourist guides refer to it as a strawberry tree but no, it is a mulberry tree which bears red fruit. The only credible reason I could find for this symbolism is that many years ago the forests of Madrid were full of bears and mulberry trees. I have only ever seen mulberry trees in the Retiro Park in Madrid. I tried the fruit and it's sweet. I wonder why mulberries are not on sale in fruit shops. Being tourists for one day, of course we had to have a photo by the statue.
 |
| By the bear and the mulberry tree in the Puerta del Sol |
Of course the other main attraction to look out for at the Puerta del Sol is the Zero kilometre plaque. It is from here that all main roads are measured from, it being the very centre of Spain. The traditional thing to do is take a photo of ones feet on the plaque and that is what we did.
 |
| Our feet on the zero kilometre plaque in the Puerta del Sol |
From the Puerta del Sol we walked to the Plaza Mayor which was looking more beautiful than ever now that the Christmas market had been taken down and there was no renovation going on. Sandra was bowled over. From there we walked to one of the 9 arched "porticos", perhaps the most famous one, the arch exit called "Arco de los cuchilleros" (cutlers' arch). Right at the bottom if you turn right you come to the world's oldest restaurant, Casa Botín. That was one of our choices for lunch that day but it was closed. I had booked a table at Casa Lucio (a favourite with Spain's former King) and that is where we headed. Located on the small Cava Baja street opposite the cutlers' arch, we soon thought we had found it and Eladio took our photo.
 |
| Outside what we thought was our restaurant in Madrid |
We went inside, I mentioned I had a booking in my name and we were led to our table.
I looked at the menu but strangely couldn't find Casa Lucio's famous "broken eggs" dish on it and asked the waiter why. He replied "we don't have that on the menu" and I said "but you have to as this is Casa Lucio". But it wasn't. That was the moment we realised we had gone to the wrong restaurant. We had walked into the Posada de la Villa and Casa Lucio was a few yards further up. I laughingly told my fellow diners we were in the wrong restaurant. We could have got up and left but they preferred to stay. Being the good girl I am, I rang the other restaurant to cancel our reservation. Oh silly me I kept thinking. I hadn't been to Lucio for more than 10 years and both restaurants look alike on the outside so I hoped my friends would forgive me for my mistake.
The Posada de la Villa was a lovely place with good food and beautiful old Castilian decor. I especially loved the fire place.
 |
| Inside Posada de la Villa |
Typically Spanish, we didn't leave the restaurant until well past 4 pm and well past Eladio's siesta, poor guy. We walked back through the old streets of Madrid to the Puerta del Sol. Here I spied a lottery kiosk and urged Eladio to take in our 2 tickets he had bought for "El Niño" the 6th January lottery which is nearly as big as "El Gordo". I had a nice little surprise when we were handed 240 euros in cash when we had only spent 40. I said the money would go to my piggy bank with savings for our next holiday.
At Callao we said goodbye to Andrea and Rob and made our separate ways. We took the metro back, picked up our car and were home relatively early. Suzy was there and the three of us watched more of the Messiah series on Netflix by the fire which Eladio lit for us in the lounge. It was so cosy but I was falling asleep after the wine at lunch and all the walking. Eladio watched too and got caught up in all the intrigue. It's a fascinating series. We stopped for dinner - tortilla and asparagus - and then returned to the sofa to watch the final episode. We are all now gasping to know what happens next. Roll on Season 2 please.
We went to bed early at around 11 pm but I naughtily watched a film which I didn't actually finish as by about midnight I was asleep. I was awake on Wednesday morning at 7.30, late for me. I was horrified to read the headlines about Iran. There had been retaliation for the killing of General Soleimani in an attack on the US airbase in Irak. War looks very likely. On the home front we finally
have a government. Pedro Sanchez' coalition with the far left party Podemos will now govern as he won 167 votes to 165 against in the second round of the investiture debate, mostly thanks to the ERC Catalan independence party. He is going to find it hard to govern with such a slim win.
Wednesday was Sandra's last day with us. She was leaving in the afternoon but we still had some time together in the morning. Before we left to go out on errands, Eladio and I had the dreaded task of taking down the Christmas tree and my hundreds of decorations. They take about 2 hours to put up but only half an hour to take down. I always hate that moment. Here is Eladio taking the decorations off the tree, a very sad moment.
 |
| Taking down all the Christmas stuff on Wednesday |
Sandra accompanied me to the post office to pick up some parcels from Amazon that had arrived too late for Christmas :( We then went to have a coffee together before heading to Mercadona to get dog food which we had run out of. Well the dogs cannot be without their food can they poor things? We had coffee at a churros place and the bar attendant insisted Sandra tried some "chocolate con churros". I persuaded her to try a "porra", the thicker version which translates into English as a "truncheon". This was our tray of coffee, churros and porras which we ate outside in the glorious January sunshine.
 |
| Coffee, porras and churros with Sandra on her last morning with us. |
We were home on time for a walk with Eladio and Pippa, a walk we were well in need of. Sandra enjoyed the sunshine, knowing she was going back to rain in Brussels. She is toying with the idea of coming to live in Spain when she retires. I hope she does and I hope she comes to live near us. Wouldn't that be lovely?
It was lunch time by the time we were home which we had with my father and Suzy who had finished her lessons. We were back to normal, healthy eating but indulged in a few of the remaining chocolates afterwards (naughty!).
At about 3 pm, Suzy and I drove Sandra to the airport on traffic free lanes. We dropped her off at Terminal 2 and saying goodbye was sad. We had so enjoyed her stay and I don't know when I will see her next. We were home by 4 and I carried on watching a lovely film before I was out again. Called Miracles from Heaven it is a true story of a little girl, Annabel Beam, who was miraculously cured of a life threatening intestinal disease.
I was out again at 5.30 to see my GP to get a routine prescription and home early enough to finish the film before dinner. Typical me, I am now reading the book the film was based on.
As I was making dinner I was shell shocked to read the news that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were taking a step back as senior royals.
 |
| The Duke and Duchess of Sussex whose announcement this week to step back in their roles caused a royal bombshell |
This is their statement. No doubt you will have read it but the main points are that they want to step back; i.e. become minor royals, live half their life in the UK and the other half in the USA, become financially independent but also support the Queen. I'm not sure how they will do that. A few hours later, the Palace
issued an official statement about their announcement. From the wording it is clear that Prince Harry and his wife had not consulted the Queen or anyone at Buckingham Palace and their news had clearly upset the Royal family big time. This statement was short and to the point: "Discussions with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage. We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through". Gosh, that smacks of a royal confrontation. We all know how the fairy tale marriage of the Prince and his American wife went sour in the media and that they had been having a tough time and taken off 6 weeks from royal duties over Christmas, causing a little rift at the palace. This latest news is more than a little rift. I have a very strong feeling the step Harry and Meghan are taking is the first before making a proper break and renouncing their royal status. For some this will bring back memories of the abdication of Edward VIII. The story continues. Let's see how it ends.
I can't remember what we watched on Netflix that night as I fell asleep early. Amazingly for me, I woke up at 7.30 in the morning on Thursday. I hadn't even heard our guest, Belén, come in. She left that day and another girl, Sonia, came. The house would be full of Airbnb guests after Sandra's departure during which I blocked the calendar so as to give her a room to herself. Now we are back to normal.
I spent most of Thursday morning initiating the process to apply for Spanish citizenship. I have long debated doing so since the Brexit referendum in 2016. Eladio questioned why saying I didn't really need it. My reply was I wanted my EU citizenship back which my British passport doesn't give me. Also if things go badly and the deal between Spain and the UK goes against my interests I will certainly need Spanish citizenship. On an emotional level I don't want to become Spanish. I was born British to an English and Russian born mother but because of Brexit I now have no choice. Initially I was going to use a lawyer a friend, Jill, had used but they were not replying to my emails or calls. Thus I had to find a new one and that wasn't easy, or at least one that came recommended and could also obtain the paperwork needed from the UK. That morning I did not find a lawyer who could do the latter so embarked upon it myself. I need Criminal records and my birth certificate both with the Apostille of the Hague which can only be obtained in the UK. The first was quite easy, the second rather daunting. For the criminal records the CRB, I first have to apply for mine and then get another organisation to add the Apostille. I couldn't continue the application for the criminal records that morning as I needed a "responsible person" to countersign the application and accompanying documents. That person had to be British and not related to me. I could only think of Andrew our lodger. He did it for me later that night. Only when I have these documents can I embark on the application here where the paperwork is daunting and can only be handled by a lawyer. Part of the process will be an exam in Spanish and another one on the Constitution and Spanish way of life. Thankfully as my Spanish is nearly bilingual and I have been here for 39 years I doubt I need to cram for either. The irony of it all is that when I married Eladio back in 1983, I would have automatically been entitled to obtain Spanish nationality but at the time I didn't want it. Since then the law has become very strict and I now face the same obstacles and paperwork people who arrived here 5 years ago do. Even though I have a degree in Hispanic Studies I still have to do the language test. For the records, I know many Spaniards would find the exams daunting, especially the exam on the Constitution where you get questions like "how many senators are there in Melilla?" While looking at the question types some time ago, out of curiosity I took a look at the questions for British citizenship. There were many questions there I couldn't answer either such as "what is the population of Scotland?" I felt very cross that morning.
At the end of the morning I had to go to the post office to send off my original birth certificate which is still in my possession to the FCO in Milton Keynes. I'm still not sure whether the legalisation I applied for means they will send one back with the famous Apostille. I also had to pick up a parcel which for some stupid reason had not been delivered at home. It turned out to be presents I had bought on Amazon for Christmas and which had arrived long afterwards. I should learn the lesson that any products not classified as Amazon Prime can take an age to arrive. Going to the post office here is not like popping out of your house for a few minutes. It's about 7km away and it is very difficult to park. Eladio joined me and I commented just how dapper he looked. Normally I take his clothes out in the morning but that day I had forgotten and he had chosen them himself. I have to say he looked great and was very colour coordinated. He was also wearing Sandra's present to him, a rather modern belt. He looked so good I had to take a photo.
 |
| Eladio looking dapper and very colour coordinated |
I had left Lucy in charge of lunch and we were home on time to join my father and Suzy. My siesta was interrupted by a new guest arriving, Sonia. She is Portuguese but lives in France. She is a physiotherapist and was here to sit some exams for her masters' degree in "women's pelvic health". I get quite a few of them. She said the course was the best in Europe. Nice to know. Women's pelvic health is crucial during pregnancy and birth and of course after birth. In France I think physiotherapy for women who have given birth is included in their national health system. Not so here I am afraid. She told me it was a question of time and of educating society. She is damned right. When women of my age and older gave birth we never ever thought about our pelvic health. I have no need here to tell you what the consequences of that are.
After I had settled Sonia in, she went to study on the table by the swimming pool which thankfully had been cleaned before her arrival. I wouldn't see her again until the next day.
Later Eladio and I went on our walk with Pippa and again I appreciated the sunshine, something I usually take for granted but which Sandra opened my eyes about. One of the best things about living in Spain is the weather and I should appreciate it more.
The highlight of Thursday was dinner out, dinner at Oli and Miguel's and seeing little Elliot. He is so big now. We were enraptured to see him, hold him and cuddle him. He always rewards us with huge big smiles. He especially likes us holding him by a mirror, the mirror in his home where you can see his little fingermarks. Oh he is such a dear. Dinner too was wonderful as Miguel is a very good chef. How lucky Oli is. There was pasta with veg and prawns or chickpea and cod soup to choose from. I had some of both. We all ate chocolates afterwards. I had taken all the ones we had leftover from Christmas to Oli's place. She urged me to take them home again but I didn't. I wanted to resist the temptation hahahahah.
We were home pretty late and I was up late watching a silly series on Neflixt (Spinning) about a young skater who has family problems. I didn't look at the time but I may have switched my light off at past 2 in the morning.
I was up at 6.45 on Friday morning, the day Suzy and I were going to France. I was happy to receive an email from Airbnb congratulating me for being a super host once again. That made me happy. I work hard at it but the effort pays off. I also have to say that more than 99% of our guests from when we started 3 years ago are great. Some of them have gone on to become friends. I also have to say that working with Airbnb has always been issue free and they are very helpful. I am all for the sharing economy.
 |
| Super host again whoopee! |
I was also happy to see a photo Oli sent us of little Elliot just after he had woken up. I maybe should say big Elliot. That day he was measured and weighed and came in at a whopping 7,1 kg and 66 cm which is more or less the size of a 1 year old baby. He is not even 4 months old. The pediatrician told Oli he had a 97 percentile meaning he is enormous for his age but not fat he added. I am already looking forward to seeing him again.
 |
| No longer little Elliot haha. |
I spent more time on uploading documents to various institutions in a hope that I will soon have the necessary paperwork from the UK. Then I had to rush and pack, do the shopping, make lunch, etc and all so that we could leave at 2.30. We were all at the table by 2 and after a quick lunch said goodbye to my father who sent his love to his sister-in-law, my Aunty Valya (married my mother's youngest brother Nicolai), her daughter Zuka and Zuka's daughter Katty and her daughter Ruby. Katty and her family live in New Zealand and had come for Christmas. They were the main reason Suzy and I were making the road trip. We so love our "kiwi family" and don't often get to see them, so this was our chance.
We had a 900km road trip ahead of us. Our destination was a little village called La Teillée not so far from Poitiers. It is in the region of Nouvelle Aqiutaine once a part of Poitu -Charentes. Our car, my Mini, was stuffed with our luggage, coats, pcs, food and drink for the journey and an awful lot of food I took: mostly Spanish fruit and veg which is cheaper in Spain and often a lot nicer. I also took along my pillow (take it everywhere) and my Nespresso machine hahahaha. It was more like everything but the proverbial kitchen sink.
 |
| Fruit and veg to take to France hahaha. I went a bit over the top didn't I? |
Zuka told me they would be waiting up for us in La Teilée where she lives (about 2.5h north of Bordeaux) in the countryside. She advised us to stop every 2 hours and that's what we did. At every important stage of the journey I texted her and my family to let them know how we were doing. The main cities on the way here were Burgos, San Sebastián, Bayonne and Bordeaux. Suzy drove all the way and we even ate in the car. It was very dark as we approached La Teilée, a tiny little village in the middle of the countryside and like in August, the satnav took us virtually through a field for the last kilometre.
 |
| The last kilometre of our journey here was pretty harrowing hahaha |
But finally we made it and were "home" by 11.45 pm. We had taken a little over 9 hours to drive 900km. I just hope we don't get any nasty fines this time. Everyone was up to welcome us including my 94 year old Aunt. It was all hugs and kisses and then of course a glass of wine for those of us who wanted it. When Suzy and I started bringing in all the food, Zuka asked whether we thought they were a refugee camp. I think I did go a bit over the top hahaha, but there are 7 of us here. The more the better I always think.
I went to bed at past 2 in the morning. I think Suzy joined me at about 4 am. Luckily I woke up late for me at 08.30 having slept about 6 hours which is quite a record. We had a lovely lazy day with our cousins. We spent some time in the morning being shown around all of my cousin's property which is quite extensive but also catching up on each other's news.
 |
| Exploring Zuka's property |
We went on a short walk in the afternoon to get some of the last rays of sunshine as it gets dark here at about 5pm. It's so different from in the summer but still beautiful. A lot of people in the area own horses and we stopped to see them and were lucky to find a very friendly one. We fed it grass from our side of the fence. The next day we would take apples and carrots. Here we are with this lovely friendly horse.
 |
| With our favourite horse |
It was dark when we got home. We all lounged around. I fell asleep until dinner - a vegetarian lasagne in Suzy's honour. Then Suzy and I spent some quality time with my 94 year old Aunt. I shall be coming some time later in the year, hopefully with Andy, to quiz her on my family as part of the research for my mother's book. She is a mine of information and has a very good memory. It was also interesting to talk to her about her experience as a teenager in Nazi occupied Paris. Sadly I learned her Russian born father was taken by the Nazis, sent to a camp and was never seen again.
Everyone did their own thing later in the evening. I did my own thing too and went to bed with my iPad to continue watching "Spinning" on Netflix. Later Suzy, who is sharing the bed, joined me.
Remarkably I had a great night's sleep and was up at 8 pm this morning. I have to say that La Teillée is the place to relax, wind down, recharge your batteries and generally feel at peace with the world. I love coming here.
Today we shall be off to a market in Poitiers which we are all looking forward to. I am also looking forward to another day with my dear cousins. No doubt you will hear all about it in next week's post.
Now it's time to sign off and wish you all a happy day and great week ahead.
Cheers till next Sunday,
Masha.
No comments:
Post a Comment