Elliot turns 5 months, Pippa's 5th anniversary, remembering Ramón Sampedro, UK closes door to non English speakers and unskilled workers, to the cinema to see 1917, off to Montrondo, day out in Villablino and Robles, the girls and Elliot in Santa Pola and other stories.

Montrondo, Sunday 23rd February 2020

At the market in Villablino on Friday with little Pippa

Good morning all. How are you doing? Well, in general I have had a better week than last. Read on to find out more.

Last Sunday was a beautiful sunny day. Finally I got to see our "mystery guest", Julia, from the Canaries who I hadn't seen at all during her stay. What a lovely girl she is. In fact nearly all our guests are lovely,  She is doing a masters' degree in something to do with physiotherapy, about pain management - I could do with her help hahahaha - and no doubt she will come again. Her mother later sent a glowing 5 star review, saying I was a fantastic hostess and that the house was magnificent. Reviews like that make it all worthwhile. I can hardly believe I have now been an Airbnb host for 3 whole years, since I lost my job with Yoigo after the company was bought up. There you have it, reinventing myself after years of corporate life. I rather enjoy it but I also love it when guests go and we have the house to ourselves hahaha. Yes, I love it, but I have to say I wouldn't do it if we didn't need the financial help to upkeep our sprawling expensive house.

We had the sprawling house to ourselves all day as the girls didn't come for lunch. I had made a huge quantity of spag bol (spaghetti bolognese) and they only told me at the last minute they wouldn't be coming. That meant we, well not me as I am on a diet, would be having leftovers for a few days hahahaha.

I finally returned to correcting the transcriptions of my mother's tapes and that day saw me finish the 19 page transcription of the second document. There are 11 documents and it's uphill work. There is lots I am learning but also lots I had heard before. I only wish she would have narrated her story chronologically as it's all up and down and difficult to get her story straight. If only she were here to ask. 

Against my doctor's prescription, I went on a walk again that afternoon. Well, I had shortened them a bit from 1h 20 minutes to 1 hour approximately. I would be seeing a rehabilitation doctor (is that what they are called?) on Monday before starting the 10 sessions of physiotherapy so would consult him or her about the walking. I was crossing my fingers it would be ok as I cannot envisage my life without our walks.

I spent more time with Churchill that day too before dinner. I am reading his biography which is exciting but I haven't got to the part about WW2 for which he is most famous and the politics of the early part of the 19th century are a bit confusing and less interesting. I kept thinking that when my father was a young man, the great statesman was his Prime Minister! Wow, what a character and what a man. There has never been anyone like him ever again in the UK or anywhere.

Dinner was a small prawn salad - we love prawns - before more of the news on our big screen TV in bed after which we watched Jordi Evole's new programme about life in prison. It was quite depressing. 

I didn't sleep too badly, waking up early as usual to a message on Airbnb from a woman probably from the US who was looking to book our house for Easter. Thus I got up to answer and went down to have breakfast. Lucy had beaten me to it and already fed the dogs.

Monday 17th February was the day Elliot turned 5 months old. Gosh, already 5 months old! Soon he will be eating proper food or rather weened slowly to puré like stuff beginning with things such as apples, pears and bananas. No doubt he will love it as if you think about it breast milk doesn't taste of much. On Sunday morning Oli sent me a lovely photo of him asleep in her bed - he is averse to his cot and only willing to sleep with his parents. They will have to find a way to ween him off that too I think. 

Elliot turned 5 months old on Monday

I got another one from Suzy on his 5th month anniversary. Oli had gone to Yoga and Suzy was babysitting. She was proud to tell me she had sung him to sleep. That's just what I used to do with my girls when they were babies and now they are doing the same. Oli told me recently that she remembered me singing to her at night but didn't like it  as she knew it was a sign I would leave her (clever girl) hahahaha. Anyway, here he is and looking like a kiwi, in his kiwi baby grow our cousin Katty sent from New Zealand in a huge parcel of clothes for Elliot. God bless the little boy.

Elliot asleep in his kiwi baby grown on the morning of his 5 month anniversary

There are no words to describe what having him in our life means. Only if you are a grandparent will you understand me. Before he was born I didn't really know what to expect. As Suzy said after he was born: "I didn't know this feeling until you came along". He brings so much joy to our lives and happiness and is a huge addition to our lovely family.

It wasn't only Elliot's day, it was also the 5th anniversary of Pippa, our miniature chocolate dachshund's arrival. She came to our home on 15th February 2015 while I was still recovering from the operation on my broken leg. Oh what joy to receive such a wonderful little puppy. Here she is the day she arrived.

Pippa on the day she arrived 5 years ago this week

Because she is a miniature dachshund it's as if she is an eternal puppy. I fell in love with her as soon as I saw her and it was mutual. She latched on to me immediately as her reference person and is a bit like my shadow. Apparently that is a trait of dachshunds who are very territorial. If I'm away, Eladio becomes her reference person and if he's away, the girls or Lucy. Elsa, our lab, is also important in her life, more so than Norah our beagle who I suspect is  a bit jealous of her. Elsa is like a second mother to her, after me hahahaha.

Beautiful Pippa

She brought out all the maternal instincts in me. I had never had a creature who loved me so much and the feeling is mutual. She is the most special dog we have ever had and we have had our share. Talk about loyalty and unconditional love. That sums her up a bit. I just wish she would be more trusting of other people. I have countless photos of her with me and the one below is one  I especially love. It was taken at Christmas in 2018 and is the photo I chose for the back of my father's book as I was determined for her to be in it because she is so important in my life.

One of the many photos of me with Pippa, my shadow.

Pippa of course had no idea it was her anniversary and behaved as normal, following me around the house all the time. When I sit at my PC working she lies on her blanket on the red sofa in our study. If I get up to go somewhere, she gets up too and follows me. She even follows me to the bathroom and the shower, hahaha. A bit averse to water, as some dogs are, she doesn't mind me bathing her, except for her head, and let's me do anything to her without complaining as she has total confidence I will never ever hurt her. Bless the lovely creature. I am such a dog and animal person. I'm not sure where I got that from as neither of my parents were and as a child I was never allowed a pet. I got my revenge though when I got married and am blessed that Eladio is an animal person too. Our lives would not be the same without our dogs, especially Pippa.

It was a quiet morning. I worked and then spent some time with Eladio's PC and on the phone to the Microsoft support people as I had an issue with his account. They were very efficient and even remotely accessed his computer to solve it. Thanks guys! Lunch was a mixture of leftovers and then time for the news. I had an appointment at 4.30 to see the rehabilitation doctor after my bout of sciatica.  I had to see her before having the physiotherapy I had been prescribed. The pain from the sciatica had gone by the time I saw the doctor. It would have been much better if I had seen her during the bout rather than once it was over. In any case I was glad to hear a different opinion from my alarmist Venezuelan doctor who had called my condition "severe".  She didn't seem to think it was that serious and likened arthritis to having wrinkles, i.e. age, hahaha. On the subject of exercise, I was delighted to hear from her that there is no problem going on walks and I can walk to my heart's content. I may have misunderstood when I went to A&E about the walks as she explained that no walking is when I am in pain. I have yet to hear from the physiotherapists for the sessions which she explained will be exercises to strengthen my back. I had hoped for massages but never mind.

My visit to the doctor cheered me up enormously and I came home to go out again this time with Eladio on our walk. We had cut it shorter in recent days and now we could go on our long one which takes just over 1h and 20 minutes.  I was in need of the endorphins.

The girls were back for dinner and to stay the night and of course little Elliot came along too. We had a family dinner together and I got Lucy to make us "tortilla". The day ended with me helping Oli bathe our little tot, time with him and the girls and then time in bed watching a new series (Blacklist) on Netflix. We must have switched off the light before midnight. I slept quite well and was up the next morning at the reasonable hour of 7 am.

Soon Elliot and Oli came down to interrupt me on my PC and what a lovely interruption it was. Whenever they come down in the morning to find me in our study, I take him to see his great grandfather who is equally delighted to see him. Dear little Elliot.

They were going to Valencia that day to be with their partner and father, Miguel, who was working a continuous stint of two weeks for TVE there. Eladio would take them to the station to take the AVE (fast speed train) and we all helped Oli to get ready to go which with a baby is an awful lot of things hahahaha. How Oli's life has changed but oh how well she had adapted to becoming a loving mother. I admire the way she taken to motherhood so naturally. She also strives to keep a normal life by taking her little baby with her everywhere. Later she sent us a photo of her on the train with little Elliot.

Oli with Elliot on the train to Valencia

It's just a 2 hour ride, an hour shorter than by car and Miguel, her partner, was there to pick them up at the station. He had missed them, especially little Elliot and was happy to be reunited with his son as you can see from the huge big smile on his face on another photo Oli sent us.

Father and son reunited in Valencia

Meanwhile, I went to do some emergency shopping for lunch, reserving the big weekly shopping expedition for the next day, Wednesday. We hardly Suzy that day as her lessons finished after our lunch and then she was  out again to give face to face lessons to her deaf student Olga and would be staying the night at her friend Elena's.

The day went by as  normal for these days. The girls had decided to meet up in Santa Pola this weekend. We had sort of thought of going too but as the apartment would be occupied we decided that on Thursday we would come to Montrondo instead for a week or so as the weather forecast was excellent. We decided that on our walk in the sun in the afternoon.

While we were on our walk, a new and repeat guest arrived, Adrian. I hadn't met him the last time he came so was a little surprised to meet a tattooed chap with lots of gold piercing including thick gold rings hanging from his nostrils!!! He is from Coin in Cádiz and has an equally thick Andalusian accent. But appearances can be deceiving and he is a nice chap. I may be a bit old fashioned and don't like tattoos or piercing although they are much in vogue for the new generations hahahaha, including my girls. Thankfully they don't have any rings sticking out of their nostrils hahahahha.

Dinner was the tortilla leftovers with some runner beans over which we watched the news on my trusted iPad. Locally it was all about demonstrations and strikes, mainly from agricultural workers who claim they sell their produce nearly at a loss and and are demanding more fair play in the supply chain. From what I have understood, the main problem is the high taxes they pay. Let's see how the government react to this new movement, a little similar to the French "gilets jaunes". There was more on Coronavirus too and when that night I got a request from a Chinese man to come with his partner the following night I was a little afraid I have to admit. However, he said that they had been in the US for the last month. In the end I accepted the reservation but later he cancelled and in a way I felt relieved.

That night after the news we watched a film by the director Alejandro Amenabar called "Mar Adentro" (The Sea Inside) released in 2015. With focus in the news these days about the new law for euthanasia, the protagonist, the real life, Ramón Sampedro's case was what really brought the issue to light in this country. Born in 1943 in a fishing village in rural Galicia, at the age of 25, he dived into the sea miscalculating the depth of the water and his head struck the sand below and he broke his neck. In one minute he went from being an able bodied young man to a quadriplegic. He lived prostrate in his bed in the home of his brother, being looked after by the family, his sister-in-law mainly and nephew. He was told he would die quite soon after the injuries but that did not happen. Slowly he began to campaign for the right to end his life, something he could not do on his own as he was completely paralysed from his neck down. He became a household name, appearing on many programmes. He lost court cases to take his life legally. So, in 1998, nearly 30 years after his accident and with the help of a chain of friends, he took his own life, sipping cyanide with a straw, his own death being taped. In the tape he asks for the anonymous friends not to be charged for their help in his death as he said it was his own decision taken by his head and that the friends only lent their hands. In his words, he had a head with a dead body attached to it and did not want to live like that.

The real life Ramón Sampedro

I had seen the film when it came out. It won an Oscar for best foreign film and I am not surprised as it is a very moving film and story. If you haven't seen it and have the stomach to watch it, I highly recommend it.

I couldn't sleep much after that and took 2 sleeping tablets. Even so I was up early on Wednesday morning, at about 6.30. Wednesday was one of the highlights of this week as amazingly we went out to the cinema, something we haven't done for donkey's years.

I love that expression don't you. Well, amazingly too, that day I came across my old vocabulary book I had bought in Spain in 1978 in my year in Madrid as part of my degree at Nottingham University. I remember buying this lovely little green bound booklet from El Corte Inglés. I took it everywhere with me, jotting down any new expression or word I didn't know. I had a quick look and it is full of expressions and swear words as well as everyday words. What a find. What memories. I do remember that practice of mine being essential to my learning the language of Cervantes to the best of my abilities. I did it with Portuguese too later on but never learned the language as well. This is just one page of it.

Pages from my 1978 Spanish vocabulary book

Eladio and I had a good laugh when I read out some of the more salacious expressions hahaha.

On the topic of learning languages, of course my parent and my brother were born polyglots, unlike me who had to slave at it. On the subject of learning English, my mother's 6th language, I was disgusted, just as she would have been, at the new immigration law proposed by the British government and announced that day. Basically it will close the doors to non English speakers and unskilled workers which was exactly my mother's position when she arrived in England. My mother, a penniless Russian princess, arrived in Londom 1945 after the war as a refugee. She knew 5 languages and wanted to learn English which she learned very quickly. She could not go back to her home country which had been taken over by the communists. As a refugee she had to do menial work for 2 years before being allowed residency. So she cleaned in people's houses and at Middlesex Hospital. When the 2 years were up, the BBC took her on as a presenter for their Russian service. She eventually settled down in her adopted country and swore allegiance to the Queen when she got her citizenship. She married an Englishman, my father, and they lived happily ever after. She became a staunch anglofile and considered England her home. She died in 1999 and would be disgusted with the news above. I was both shocked and angry at the news. Aren't you? And, I am ashamed of my country. My mother arrived without a penny nor a word of English, yet she went on to become a teacher at Leeds University and if she hadn't been allowed in I would never have been born. Oh how I hate what is becoming of my mother's adopted and my birth country. 

My mother loved the Queen and as a born Brit, I do too. It has been instilled in me. Well that day, my friend Kathy from Yorkshire announced it was her parent's 65th wedding anniversary. Imagine! 65 years! That is really something. I asked whether they would be getting a card from the Queen. The Queen sends a card to all people reaching 100, then when they are 105 and yearly after that. She also sends cards to people celebrating their diamond wedding (60 years), so I wondered if Kathy's parents wouldn't be entitled to another card. I found out they were and told my friend who duly applied for her parent's new card from the Queen. I was glad to hear they would get one. Receiving a card from the Queen on such occasions is very special and very English. I tried to explain the importance of it to my Spanish husband who just didn't get it. He didn't see why it was special and I couldn't really explain why as it is a very emotional thing. I once read that a lot of people in their old age were motivated to reach 100 just to get the card. That's wonderful. I do hope the new Government doesn't scrap this beautiful tradition. In any case, well done to Kathy's parents for their 65th wedding anniversary. If they reach 70 years of marriage they will get another one to add to their collection and one for each year after that too.

That night when we went to the cinema to see Sam Mendes' film, 1917, I thought about the importance of WWI, often known as the Great War for my father and other post WW1 born children. No doubt it would have left a mark on them  as WW2 left a mark on me or as the Spanish Civil Wa5r did on my husband.  Eladio and I are usually fans of war films, especially the WW2 genre and less keen on films about WW1 about which there are far fewer.  I was hoping for a story based on people rather than on too much action in the famous trenches and I got the latter. You can see the trailer here by the way.  I should have read the plot before buying the tickets then I would have known it would be all trenches and dreadful dreadful violence with rats, dead bodies everywhere and the most disgusting scenes which had me sinking my head in Eladio's arms. I couldn't bear the scenes of dead horses either and wondered just how Mendes did it. I can only hope they were all dummies. Just too much violence for me I'm afraid although I'm sure the film is very representative of a typical day in the trenches and fighting on the front in this most horrible and senseless of wars. This is the plot by the way (copied); "During World War I, two British soldiers Lance Cpl. Schofield and Lance Cpl. Blake  receive seemingly impossible orders. In a race against time, they must cross over into enemy territory to deliver a message that could potentially save 1,600 of their fellow comrades -- including Blake's own brother".

A pretty to be expected violent film

On the bright side we were both amazed with the newly renovated cinemas where the wide and comfortable seats recline to make if feel as though you are lying in bed. How different to the cinemas I used to go to in Bradford in the 70's hahahhahaa.

We were home late of course and had a late dinner. I was starving hahahhaah. I got a sudden new reservation request, again from a Chinese person. As the booking was instant I couldn't cancel it . Well, I can't turn down all Chinese guests for fear of the damned virus.   As it was an instant booking I couldn't refuse it. I could though if I wanted according to Airbnb's policy regarding Coronavirus. Not wanting to be discriminating but looking out for our safety, I politely asked my guest how long they had been out of China. He very understandingly told me they had been in Spain for 20 days and even sent me a photo of the exit stamp on his passport. I was rather relieved. It's funny how the whole issue of Coronavirus has even affected my humble Airbnb business.

Later we lay in our beds and comfortably started watching a new series on Neflix (Stranger) which we would enjoy immensely.

Thursday came, the day we left for Montrondo. I was deeply upset to read about yet another racist attack in the world. A disturbed young man bent on killing muslims went on the rampage in a small town in German, called Hanau. He killed 9 people in shisha bars and elsewhere in the town over a period of a few hours. He then went on to kill his own mother before killing himself. What madness I though and oh how I hate racism. The next day in London there was another racist attack when a man was arrested for attempted murder at a mosque in the centre of the city. The victim was the 70 year old muezzin who was leading the call to prayers when he was stabbed. Thankfully he survived. How awful!

Awful was the next episode in my daily life that morning when we were preparing to leave for Montrondo. That's when my recent suspicions of robbery at home were confirmed. Someone who has worked for us for more than 15 years and who I have always trusted was apparently pilfering our larder weekly and taking heavy bags of food from our house every week. I was beginning to notice the diminishing of food, especially fruit and vegetables and couldn't really understand where they were all going. Was someone eating it all? No, they were stealing it. Other things have disappeared recently and if I look back, many things - including items from my lingerie - have disappeared over the years. We had noticed months ago that my father's biscuits were disappearing at the weekend so we hid most of them while the culprit was here. I had thought she was must have been eating them but it's clear now she was stealing them as she couldn't have eaten so many herself.  Ditto for washing detergent. If on a Saturday the 5 kilo box of detergent was full, come Monday morning there was hardly any left. I just thought she was putting too much into the washing machine and even told her so but again I realise now she was stealing it and on a large scale too. This person must have got braver recently as I never noticed things missing on such a large scale before, although other things including my only gold necklace went missing a few years ago. Also a small silver salt spoon belonging to my grandmother and which I used daily suddenly disappeared and no doubt she must have taken it thinking I wouldn't notice but I did. I've been looking for it and it's nowhere to be seen. I cannot confront this person who has deeply disappointed me as I don't have strong enough evidence and if I do she will no doubt deny it. We are going to keep her on but lay a trap to get concrete evidence. If it turns out our suspicions are confirmed, I'm afraid she must go but not until I find a replacement. This episode really took its toll on me on Friday. I was just imagining how much she must have stolen over the years - including tons of our washing detergent weekly - and at the same time coming across as  a trusted person I even considered a friend. I was good to her, finding her jobs with friends and family and this is how she pays me. I also feel dreadful that I was recommending a thief!

We left home at about 10.40 or so after saying goodbye to my father, Lucy, Suzy and the other dogs. Of course, Pippa came with us. There would be no traditional stop at Rueda for wine, bread, ham and chocolate as I wanted to keep to healthy eating. Thus we decided to have lunch at a little restaurant in the small village of Pandorado - literally meaning "golden bread" - about 30 minutes from Montrondo. We were in luck as there were tables free. Amazingly, Casa Yordas, a very traditional establishment, offers lunches for 10 euros.

Casa Yordas in Pandorado where we stopped for lunch just before arriving in Montrondo on Thursday

Their menu of the day - a Spanish concept called "menu del día" -  included a choice of first courses, second courses and desserts and also included bread, wine and water and all for the paltry price of 10 euros. The food was good if simple but perfect for a roadside stop for lunch. Here is Eladio at the table. He was reading his phone or rather news on his phone. At the moment his main interest is in a story in the news called "Delcygate" which is about how Venezuelas' top government aide came to Spain and was met by the Minister of Transport, Abalos. The problem there is that there is an EU sanction for some members of Maduro's government to travel in EU countries. The story is getting bigger and bigger and includes the tale of Delcy Rodriguez bringing 40 luxury suitcases full of gold she would later take on her ongoing flight to Dubai. It's quite big news here at the moment and Eladio is loving every moment of it likening it to some of the thriller series we see on Netflix hahahhaaha.

Eladio at Casa Yordas on Thursday

It was a beautiful day and we arrived to blue skies in Montrondo at around 3.30. It didn't take long to settle in and soon I was on my walk with Pippa.

Blue skies in Montrondo

It was sunny but with a nip in the air when I set off at about 5.40. I was back by around 7 pm and just as I was coming home I got a whatsapp from my neighbour, Salo, to invite me to join her and the other ladies of the village for coffee at her house. I gladly accepted and it was good to see them and catch up on the village news.

Eladio and I had an early dinner and a healthy one too hahaha. Later we watched the news. Eladio was tired and nodding off by 9 pm so went to bed. I stayed up wanting to watch "Cuéntame" a big hit here in Spain but fell asleep too. I woke up at  past midnight with a crick in my neck and sleepily made my way to our room. I didn't have a bad night's sleep but the crick in my neck was still there when I got up on Friday morning at 7 am.

Friday was perhaps the highlight of the week, seeing us at the market in nearby Villablino (mining town) and exploring the little village of Robles de Laciana. We set off for Villablino at around 11 and were soon parked at Gadis, a supermarket I love and only to be found in the north of Spain. From here we went to have a coffee at a local bar and it was great to be allowed to take Pippa in with us. There has been a recent law passed allowing bar owners to be the ones to decide on whether dogs are allowed in or not. Thus Pippa got to have a bit of the free biscuits that came with the coffee. From the bar we walked in the brilliant sunshine to the Friday market. There I bought a pretty rainbow like scarf and Eladio bought 5 vests and all for a song. Ah and Eladio bought some chorizo, funnily enough made from beef and not pork. I'm not a fan. Here he is looking dapper in his sunglasses while paying for the spicy Spanish sausage.

Eladio buying chorizo at the Villablino market

We also got some fresh, natural oranges - i.e. not the waxed ones. We got the rest of our fruit and veg and other provisions to last us the week here at Gadis. The town seemed bustling but it isn't really and was in the news last week as part of demonstrations in León, the capital and other towns in the province. The demonstrations were mostly about the decline of the area and lack of jobs. This has mostly come about because of the closure now of all mines and power stations. Villablino was an important town for coal mining and was once very rich; not so any more. The lack of jobs is driving young people to move out of the area and it is true to say that the ratio of retired people and babies is getting higher and higher. In the last few years 40.000 people moved away from the area. It didn't seem like that to me on Friday but I suppose it was because it was market day attracting people from the villages nearby.

After our purchases we set off to visit one of these villages, Robles de Laciana, a tiny place perched high in the mountains with great views of the surrounding landscape. Eladio hadn't been there since he was a child and we were both surprised to find what a pretty village it is. In fact, it was voted the prettiest village in the province in 2011. We could see why when we saw the restaurant where we had booked a table - Hotel Rural La Bolera - and the magnificent little church, San Julian, built in the 11th century and which is partly Romanesque. We wished we could go inside. Here is Eladio posing for me by the church.

Eladio and Pippa by the church in Robles

I posed for the camera in the other direction where you can see a bit of the pretty village.

In Robles on Friday

We had twenty minutes or so to kill before our lunch booking and explored this pretty village. We were most impressed and wondered why we had never been before. We went on Friday as friends had recommended the restaurant which doubles as a country hotel. We were not disappointed. Here is Eladio outside the complex.

Eladio by the restaurant we went to on Friday

We particularly liked the glass built dining room where the sun shone in and warmed up the atmosphere. We sat by the window and occasionally went out to check on Pippa who had to remain outside in the garden tied to her lead (sad). There is a cold cut famous in the area of León called "cecina", a sort of smoked beef which goes through a similar process to Spanish ham. I had to try it as I had read from reviews of the restaurant that it was outstanding. This it is and it was outstanding.

The "cecina" at the restaurant on Friday

Eladio went for the 11 euro menu of the day but I went for a la carte and chose lamb chops - my favourite.

At around 3.30 after a lovely day out in Villablino and in Robles, we drove the short journey home to Montrondo. We both wanted a siesta. First we had to put away the shopping though. Here is just some of the fruit we bought.

Some of the fruit we bought in Villablino on Friday

We both had a short siesta and then I went on my walk with Pippa. Eladio preferred to stay behind with one of his brothers to do some gardening. I left at around 6.10 pm and it was still sunny. It doesn't get really dark here now until way past 7 pm so I had a pleasant walk. On my way I was happy to see the horses, Shetland pony and its friend the grey donkey in the fields before Murias.

The Shetland pony and two of the horses in the fields before Murias, happily grazing away

I was happy to see too when I got back that I had walked more than 10km that day!!  All good. After dinner,  as usual we later watched the news. I was slightly shocked to hear about the further spread of the Coranavirus outside China including now northern Italy with cases in both Milan and now Rome.  In Italy, by today,   there were 79 cases, 2 deaths and 50.000 people in lock down. These people have been asked to stay at home for 2 weeks. One man died. The outbreak is in the north of the country where schools have been closed and public events cancelled.  The Italian government passed a law to impose lockdown in the focus areas; a dozen or so towns in the areas of Lombardy and Veneto. Imagine! The scary thing is that it is not clear how the first affected person contracted the disease. The other countries most affected are South Korea, Japan and Iran. In China there are over 76000 people with the disease and 2.348 have died. Not good news.

Once we had had our fill of the news we turned to Netflix and continued watching Stranger. Meanwhile the girls had arrived at our apartment in Santa Pola. They had to ring Eladio as he is the only one of us who knows 1) how to turn on the water mains, 2) how to turn on the gas for cooking and hot water and 3) how to turn on the gas heater. A video call was in order so he could explain each of the processes to Suzy who, like her father, is quite good at anything slightly technical hahahhaaa.

We went to bed early and I got quite a good night's sleep waking up at 7.30 on Saturday morning. Again the sun shone and we had blue skies. The temperature reached at least 20ºc on our walk that morning to Senra and back. I walked in a short sleeved T-shirt, a bit unheard of for this time of year. The lovely thing about the walk to Senra is the reward of a cup of coffee and a rest in the sun before walking back. Here is Eladio enjoying the moment.

Coffee in Senra on Saturday morning

We were home by 1.30 and as I had prepared lunch before our walk, we were soon sitting at the table and eating a delicious meal of vegetable soup, fish and fresh artichokes. Probably tired from our walk both of us fell asleep over the news. We must be getting old hahhahaa. I remember, as a teenager, my mother falling asleep watching the TV with me and it used to annoy me. Well, it's me who does that these days. Pippa fell asleep too as you can see in the photo below of my dearest little dog covered in a white blanket. She does have a great life as a dog don't you think?

Pippa having a siesta yesterday

We lounged around in the afternoon enjoying our sweet home away from home in the mountains. Meanwhile the girls were enjoying themselves in Santa Pola. In the morning they had breakfast on the terrace in the sun and later went to the market where you can get wonderful fruit and vegetables at low prices. They walked along the seafront which I'm sure was very healthy for little Elliot who I heard later was "enjoying his holiday" (hahaa) and then went to have paella (actually arroz a banda) at the well known restaurant, El Varadero. Here is the photo of my darling daughters with my darling grandson at the market yesterday morning.

The girls and Elliot at the market in Santa Pola yesterday

Believe it or not we were hungry again by 7.30 and I rustled up a dinner of cold cuts which we had with a salad and gazpacho. Later we watched the news again and it was all the same stories so we promptly fell asleep only to wake up at past 10 pm to the beginning of  the talent show, "Prodigios" (prodigy children) which we love. Last night's progarmme was superb but ended really late, after 1 am, in fact.

I didn't sleep too badly and was up at 7.20 this morning. Today looks like another sunny day with blue skies and we shall make the most of it again. It's lovely being here on our own with few responsibilities and just time to be together.

Now I must leave you. I have a pot boiling on the hob with chickpeas, meat, chorizo, bones and vegetables to make a "cocido madrileño" for today's lunch. But we shall have to earn it first by another long walk, maybe up the mountains this time.

Hoping you all have a great Sunday, cheers till next week,
Masha

A poisoned birthday present: sciatica, the Oscar goes to Parasite, "One woman's story", Storm Ciara batters UK, Elliot goes shopping, Mobile World Congress cancelled by fear of Coronavirus, what is love? St. Valentine's dinner and other stories.

Sunday 16th February

With my Valentine of 40 years celebrating love on Friday 14th 

Good morning all. I trust your week has been a good one. In this blog post you can read all about mine. Like the joke about the "curate's egg", mine has been good in parts. 

Last Sunday was the day after my birthday for which I want to thank those of you who sent greetings. I was once again overwhelmed by messages from so many people. They made me feel loved and happy and as I said last week, I couldn't have asked for more. 

But last Sunday brought a poisoned belated birthday present in the form of an acute bout of sciatica. I have a back problem called spondylolisthesis, a degenerative condition which has been worsened by ongoing arthritis.  Basically this means that there has been slippage of a vertebra onto another. Nature often heals this and it did in my case and now both vertebrae have joined . But the condition leads to a deformity of the spine and compression of the nerve roots which in turn leads to bouts of sciatica: a trapped nerve. The space between some of the vertebrae has widened which also causes sciatica. My groin and lumbar area  had been giving me problems over the last few weeks with pain shooting down my right leg and numbing it. I had such a bad night  that I decided to go to A&E that morning. I had expected long waiting at the hospital (Montepríncipe) but everything was very fast. I saw a young Venezuelan specialist doctor in traumatology who spotted the condition immediately. Of note we spoke about his country and he didn't have swear words strong enough to show his feelings about the current regime and "dictator" Maduro. He sent me for an X-ray where again I hardly had to wait and within 10 minutes I was back in his surgery with the verdict. He confirmed my back condition saying it was "severe" and that I also had scoliosis which I already knew.  I didn't like that word "severe".  He prescribed a very strong pain killer- "tramadol", which is in fact an opioid as well as paracetamol. He also prescribed 10 sessions of physiotherapy to make my spine stronger. His advice was to swim but I'm no good at crawl so will ask the physiotherapist what sport I can do instead. I was devastated to hear that walking is not good for me, especially a continuous hour long walk. He said that instead I could do short 15 minute walks but for a week I had to take it easy and rest.

So rest I did as much as I could. We had to do some emergency food shopping on our way back from the hospital and chemist if we were going to have a decent lunch. I took my first Tramadol pill and soon I was feeling woosy but the pain began to remit thank goodness. Thus I was able to make lunch with the help of Zena. The girls were away so it was just my father, Eladio and I for Sunday lunch.

I rested afterwards feeling the woosy effects of the pain killer which felt weird but at least the pain had lessened. There would be no walk that afternoon of course but I did have my cup of tea or should I say decaf tea because that's what I always have. I was pleasantly surprised to find Oli, Miguel and Elliot were in her room. They had come back as Miguel's car was here and he would be leaving for Valencia for a two week work stint there with TVE. It was lovely to see our adorable, cheerful, smiley and chubby grandson. As soon as he sees us, he gurgles with delight and I suppose we do too. I love the fact that the little chap is happy to let anyone hold him. Here he is with his grandfather, wearing by the way, one of the lovely outfits Katty, our cousin, had sent him from New Zealand. He has been spoiled for presents from my side of the family and friends.

Grandfather and grandson together on Sunday

Elliot certainly took my mind off the pain although sadly I couldn't pick him up as he now weighs over 8 kilos and one thing I must not do with my condition is lift anything heavy. But that didn't mean I couldn't hold him on my lap and sing to him or play which is what I did for the short time he was with us on Sunday.

Suzy was back too and we spent some quality time together before all four of them left; Miguel for Valencia and Oli, Suzy and Elliot for their flat. They did some "free shopping" at home that night, taking a lot of what we had bought as emergency food shopping in the morning:-( We had dinner alone with the news and enjoyed a prawn, mango and avocado salad before going up to bed extremely early. It is Suzy, our nutrition expert who pointed out to us that we have dinner too late which is not good for our digestion. So instead of having dinner at 8.30 or so we are now having it at 7.30. We always go straight up to our room afterwards which has now got even earlier than before. We watched more news - the spread of coronavirus was on the agenda as was the terrible story of a young Thai soldier who went on a killing spree at a shopping centre in Bangkok last weekend killing 29 people. How dreadful!

The news was also about the Oscars which would take place later that night. We wouldn't be watching though as it was on in the early hours of the morning. I do remember watching the Oscars as a teenager in Bradford and finding it far too long. We wondered who the winners would be and wouldn't find out until Monday morning.

Meanwhile we watched an interview with the imprisoned Catalan independence leader, Oriol Junqueras, who is the de facto influence on how the new government was to be formed, with the help of abstention from his party, the ERC. I was a bit disappointed with the programme which seemed more like a promotion of his party and politics than anything else. Far more exciting was watching the last episode and a half of "Vivir sin permiso" on Netflix.

Monday came and with it the news of the winners of this years' Oscars. The overall winner was the South Korean film, "Parasite" which won best film, best foreign film, best director and best original screenplay.  Wow, we shall really have to go and see it. It is the first time a foreign film has ever won the best picture award, not just best foreign film. Spain had high hopes for Almodovar's "Pain and Glory" but it was not to be.  Bong Joon, the director, could not believe what was happening and last Sunday will no doubt be the best moment ever in his lifetime.

Bong Joon and his team celebrating Parasite's awards

The British film 1917 which both Eladio and I really want to watch, got three consolation awards; best photography, best sound and best visual effects. You can see the whole list of winners in this link.

My sciatica left me a bit out of action on Monday as it did on Tuesday. The pain had receded quite a lot but it was the tablets that made me feel woozy and void of my usual energy. I followed my doctor's advice and took things easily. That morning saw me tidying out my walk in wardrobe and organising all my scarves and jumpers. What a mess when I began and how good it looked when I finished.

If I was to take it easy, that could include reading quietly. I was dying to start on Maria Britnieva's book "One woman's story" which I had read when I was about 15, so many moons again. You will remember from last week's blog post that Mary Britnieva was "Aunty Mary" in my life and the person who welcomed my mother in London when she arrived at the end of WW2. The book is available on internet from an American library, thus I read it on my iPad quietly in the lounge. Aunty Mary was  a member of the Anglo Russian gentry at the outbreak of WW1.

Aunty Mary in England after escaping from revolutionary Russia

Her father was  British and her mother Russian.  In 1914 she joined an elite group of Red Cross nurses (Sisters of Mercy) who served at the front mostly in Poland. Her story of her part in WW1 is fascinating. She then married the head doctor, Alexander (Sasha) Britnev and tells the story of how their life began in turbulent revolutionary Russia.  Interestingly, his father was a doctor to the late Tsar Nicholas II. I had thought she had escaped like many Russians but she and her husband stayed on, living in hunger struck Petrograd (Soviet's new name for St. Petersburg). Her tales of trying to survive there are horrifying. In those years of shortage and terror from the communists, she gave birth to two children, Tsapis (Vladimir) and Mary who was to become an actress. She herself became so ill that her life was in danger and her husband urged her to go to England where her parents had sought refuge. Just getting out of Russia in those times was an unimaginable feat and she had to leave her husband behind. Later she would go back to see him after he was imprisoned by the soviets for being one of the "intelligentsia"   and accused of being a spy for the British. It makes for heavy reading and I couldn't put it down.  It's also a marvelous portrait of Russia during the beginning of the rule of the communists. If you are interested, this is the link. Frankly I couldn't put it down.

We had the pleasure of the girls' and Elliot's company for lunch as we would do for most of this week as Miguel is working in Valencia. Little Elliot who is actually huge for his age always brightens up the atmosphere at home, putting a smile on all our faces. I think he is going to be a very sociable little boy. While we eat, he now sits up in his pram on his own and at some stage begs to be picked up hahahaha.

Life was quiet at home but a storm was battling across northern Europe, Storm Ciara, which battered much of my home country, including my beloved Yorkshire. Flights were cancelled and delayed as were ferries and trains.  Whole towns like Hebden Bridge were completely flooded and havoc was a general description for much of the country with hurricane like winds as strong as 100 miles per hour! We had storm Gloria not so long ago in Spain and now it was the north of Europe's turn. If this isn't due to climate change then tell me what it is?

A car in Brentwood that sunk into a sort of pot hole caused by the storm this week. Imagine!

Storm Ciara had not made its way to Spain although some of its effects could be felt on the north coast, but not in the centre. On the contrary, in Madrid that day the sun shone and it was quite mild. It would have been perfect weather for our walk but that was not to be because of my sciatica. Damn it!

Dinner was another family affair and I got Lucy to make us a tasty Spanish tortilla - thank you Lucy. Later we watched the news in our room and then started on a new series; Season 3 of Broadchurch. I'm afraid, though, that owing to my strong painkillers, I fell asleep.

Tuesday came and it was not a good day as you will read. The news again this week has been dominated by the threat and spread of the coronavirus. Many big companies attending the Mobile World Congress at the end of this month in Barcelona, the biggest mobile fair in the world, announced they were pulling out. First it was LG then the domino effect started and at the time of writing more than 40 companies had cancelled their attendance. LG started the domino effect and soon after other big companies followed suit, such as Ericsson, Amazon, AT&T, Cisco, Facebook, Intel, NTT Docomo and Sony. There were rumours all week that with such a diminished presence from the big guns, the fair may well be cancelled or delayed. Gosh that was big news in many ways. It shows us just how seriously companies are taking the virus but it also means a huge loss in economic terms for the fair which has been held year after year in the Spanish city since it moved from Cannes. I know what I am talking about as I have attended it personally for many years from when it was first held in Barcelona in 2006 until 2017. Here is  a photo of myself outside the enormous premises of the "Fira" the last time I went. 

The last time I was at the MWC - February 2017

I can only imagine what a bold and difficult decision it must be for a company to pull out.  More than 100.000 delegates attend from 200 countries and about 2.400 companies have a stand, contributing big money to the city in terms of accommodation, transport, events, etc as well as providing lots of lucrative and temporary employment. According to El Pais, the estimated loss from cancellations could be up to 500 million euros! The cost of a stand is 1.200 euros per square metre, so just do the maths to see what companies like Facebook or Ericsson who had reserved 600 and 1200 square metres would have paid and won't get their money back. So, yeah a big decision to make and bad news for the city of Barcelona. It wasn't until the next day that the final nail on the coffin hit the world's biggest mobile event when the GSMA, the organisers, finally announced its cancellation. 

That day our cupboards were bare and it was time to do our weekly shopping at Mercadona. We came home with provisions from two huge trolleys, enough, I hoped to last us all week. This week we had to feed 6 people nearly every day, so no wonder we needed so much. 

The day was going well until after lunch when my sciatica got worse. I thought it had got better but it took a turn for the worse that afternoon and had me in pain until late that night. It was Murphy's law that after the sciatica pain receded it was replaced by a migraine which I couldn't shake off until the next morning and it was still lingering even after my first coffee.  I discovered later, after looking at the patient leaflet, that the tramadol painkiller I was taking for sciatica can provoke a headache. I never took it again.

Wednesday came and it was 12th February, what would have been my dear brother George's 65th birthday. He is forever in my heart but I always remember him specially on his birthday and the date of his leaving us, 15th May. What can I say that I haven't said before? I always feel guilty that my blue eyed, blonde, 6ft tall and talented brother got all the bad luck in life while I got all the good luck. Life is not fair. Life took him too early, at the age of 46 thanks to a very aggressive melanoma - skin cancer. We had lost my mother just over a year before he died (2001) and today only my father and I are left. Oh how different and more joyful our lives would be if they hadn't gone. Oh how we miss them. 

George and I with our father - Ruskington (Lincolnshire) 1961

I love the photo of us with our father when we were small, both of us trustingly holding his hand. We couldn't have had a better father or mother and I am privileged that my father is still with me. I don't ever want to lose him. No doubt, like me, he too would have been thinking about George on his birthday.

I was soon joined by our new guest, Fernando, who had arrived the day before but had been welcomed by Eladio as I was k.o. because of my sciatica when he came. He had breakfast with me and we chatted a bit. He was a bit nervous as that day he was starting a new job in the IT department of the Santander bank world HQ near where we live. I imagine he was excited too as it's probably a good job for an IT expert. He came for three days and still has to look for permanent accommodation for himself and his wife, so no doubt he will be staying again. 

He left to get ready for his first day with his new job and I carried on with my breakfast and reading the headlines on my iPad and phone. The big news in Spain was the approval from Parliament to go ahead with a new law allowing euthanasia. Wow that was pretty big news. However, the law if passed, won't come into effect until the summer. If the law passes, Spain would be only the seventh country to legalise euthanasia.  The others are Canada, Belgium, Holland, Colombia, Luxembourg, Switzerland, parts of Australia and some states in the USA.

Like me, most people are divided on the subject but I do think people should have a choice if their circumstances require such a decision, a decision to take their own lives. But I ask myself doesn't euthanasia already exist when people are "sedated" when they are at the last stage of cancer? I have seen it happen both with my father in law and with my dear friend Fátima. Isn't sedation a form of euthanasia? It is isn't it? But then again I imagine it is used to avoid the terrible pain and suffering that diseases like cancer can cause when the patient is at the end of his or her life. I imagine too that sedation comes from an overdose of morphine. Oh gosh, what a horrible thought. I just hope that none of us ever have to face that moment. God bless anyone who has to. Life can be most unfair and is a lottery. When the photo of George and I was taken in 1961 and we were children, we lived in bliss with no idea how life would pan out for us or that George would only live until he was 46. 

Wednesday came and I spent the day with the girls. In the morning I went with Oli and little Elliot to El Corté Inglés, Spain's big department store. We had a few errands to do and as we walked around the shop, Elliot sat up in his pram taking in everything. He seemed to love shopping and seeing all the colourful things around him. I told Oli that he takes after his father who, unusually for a man, loves shops. Here he is in the baby department where Oli was buying some accessory for his pram. 

Elliot who went shopping on Wednesday and enjoyed the outing

While we had a coffee at Starbucks, Elliot enjoyed his feed. I have to say he behaved perfectly during out shopping expedition in the morning and in the afternoon. I told you; he likes shops hahahahaha.

We were home on time for a family lunch and were out again in the afternoon. This time we accompanied Suzy on an errand to Madrid. Later we went to Gran Plaza 2 (huge shopping centre in Majadahonda). Suzy, my vegan daughter, wanted to get me natural herbal medicine for my sciatica but when she showed me two little bottles of ginger or whatever, I balked at the price of 50 euros, preferring ibuprofen from over the counter at the chemist hahahhaaha. 

Suzy at the health shop which she loves so much

It was as we were driving home that we got the live news that the GSMA association had confirmed cancelling the Mobile World Congress after a new flood of cancellations from the likes of Nokia, Vodafone, Orange, McAfee, etc. all because of their supposed fear of the spread of the coranavirus. But come on, there were only 2 cases in Spain, one in the Canaries and they guy is now over it and one in the Balearic Islands. It's not as if Spain's health system, one of the best in the world, couldn't cope with a few more. However, with the flood of cancellations from more than 40 companies including most of the big guns,  I suppose the organisers had no option. They were hoping for the Spanish government to declare a health emergency which they would need to claim insurance and a lot of insurance at that. Now they are hoping to claim it because of "force majeure". What force majeure I ask, surely not the virus? The companies who had pulled out voluntarily would not get their money back but those who haven't will have to be reimbursed and that is a lot of money. One of the main reasons for not cancelling earlier was then basically economic and not health related. It's always down to money isn't it? I felt divided at the decision. While the cancellation announcement came, other big fairs and exhibitions were taking place around the world, so why cancel the MWC? Is it because there are more Chinese delegates there I wondered but I doubt it, as a similar fair was taking place in Holland this week with 80.000 delegates.  I have a funny feeling there is more to this than meets the eye. Some have suggested this a reflection or outcome of the US China "trade war" or even a backlash from those affected by the so-called "Google tax". I also wonder, does this now mean that because of the threat of coronavirus, all big international fairs, exhibitions, shows, etc will be cancelled or is it just the MWC?  I feel sorry, not for the big companies who can afford the loss, but for all those small companies and suppliers who will now be left in legal limbo and have a lot to lose, not to mention the businesses in Barcelona. I doubt the hotels will worry though as they will still be paid for accommodation booked as that is a prerequisite when reserving a hotel room in Barcelona for the MWC, No, they will just have lots of empty rooms at the end of the month which no doubt they will offer for a cheaper rate. In any case it is a disaster for the Spanish economy and for the sector in general. 

We were glad to get home and all in need of a rest, especially little Elliot although he had behaved perfectly.  The evening panned out as normal and we were soon in bed watching TV. Our choice was the film about Van Gogh, the old one with Kirk Douglas, but I'm afraid I soon fell asleep. I fell asleep feeling thankful my dreadful headache was over.

I woke up nearly pain free on Thursday morning but felt a lack of energy all day and a bit down in the dumps. I think I was suffering from the lack of endorphins that I get from my walks. Oh, how I missed them. I went to the hairdresser that morning because I needed to get my roots seen to and my hair cut. For me going to the hairdresser is a pain and an ordeal whereas most women love it. Not me, I'm afraid. I think I was overcharged that day and came home in a bad mood which is unusual for me. I tried to snap out of it by making lunch with Oli and Elliot watching us from his pram and asking for attention every now and again. It's not easy to perform domestic duties when he is around hahahhaa.

Everyone did their own thing in the afternoon. Eladio did the most important job, that of pruning the trees and bushes in the garden. I was horrified to see him climbing up them on his steep ladder. I think he sometimes thinks he is 35 and not 75. Oli told us later that she learned while visiting Spain's national paraplegic hospital for a TV report, that 75% of accidents happen in the home. Thankfully he finished the task that day. Meanwhile, I tried to watch more of Season 3 of Broadchurch while keeping Elliot entertained - mission impossible hahahahhahaa. The girls went off to their house and by then it was time for a quiet dinner with my husband and no guests in sight.

I found it difficult to sleep that night so while Eladio was in slumberland, I switched the  "box" on again and resumed watching Broadchurch until quite late or least until after 2 in the morning. Then damn, I was awake at 5.30 after just 3 hours sleep but forced myself to stay in bed until 7 am.

Friday 14th was St. Valentine's Day and I had dinner out with Eladio to look forward to. As if I didn't know it was the day that celebrates love, Facebook reminded me by posting me a photo of Eladio and I, 3 years ago. I love the picture. Thanks FB.

Celebrating St. Valentine's with Eladio 3 years ago.

I often marvel how we are still in love after all these years. We met in the summer of 1980 - so 40 years ago!  But what is love? How would you describe it? Someone told me the other day that the three pillars of love in a relationship are: affection, respect and trust. Well our relationship is full of these three so maybe they are part of the reason we are still happily married. I would add another value which for me is important: admiration,  I always admire how cultured my husband is. Also vital to our relationship, at least, is independence and giving each other space.  I think if we lived in a tiny little flat I would feel a bit claustrophobic as I need my space (both physical and non physical) and independence, at times, as most people do. According to this expert on love and I think I can agree, the main ingredients apart from the three main pillars, affection, respect and trust, are: equality, loyalty, passion, care and help, connectivity, empathy, communication, admiration (I said that one), freedom, understanding, project for the future, self esteem and sincerity.  It has always been difficult to describe love. So, no, it's not just passion.  It is all these ingredients. Do you agree?

Defining love

One could also add patience and striving to keep the flame alight. Eladio is the patient one in our relationship. Another ingredient in ours at least, is the avoidance of argument and confrontation. Neither of us like confrontation. But we do strive to keep the flame alive or alight. One of the ways we do that is going away together or out to dinner on Fridays.  Being St. Valentines and the romantic I am, at least, we always go out to dinner to celebrate the day of love  on St. Valentines. Other women get flowers or couples give each other presents. We don't - although I would love the odd bunch of roses (haha).

Valentine's Day was the highlight of rather a dismal week, weather and health wise I have to say. It was cold, grey and cloudy in the morning but the sun came out in the afternoon. I disobeyed my doctor's orders and we went on our walk with Pippa.

I came back to ready the green room for a new and sudden guest. I had thought that maybe this weekend would be the only weekend in, I think 2 years, that we haven't had a guest so I was glad to get a surprise reservation in the morning. It came from a repeat guest. We get lots of them; this time a young student from the Canary Islands coming for her Master's degree classes at the nearby UEM.

I finished watching Broadchurch Season 3 which I can highly recommend if you like the two detectives, the main characters, and I do. Then it was time to get ready to go out. I wore a trusted black and white striped Zara dress I wear occasionally and we drove to the restaurant I had chosen for our Valentine's dinner date; Tinglado, perhaps the nearest to where we live and one we both like. I got my red rose there as all the tables were decorated with them as well as with rose petals. I must say they looked splendid. I later sneaked ours of the restaurant and it's now in a glass in our bathroom (naughty).

Our dinner table on Valentine's Day

We hardly had to look at the menu as both of us have our favourites. Eladio went for fish and chips (not enough batter for me and very few chips) and artichokes and foie for me. The dessert, meringue and raspberry and chocolate mousse, was divine. We had our photo taken by our waitress. I always think waiters and waitresses should have a course in photography as they notoriously take bad and often blurry photos. She had to do a few retakes until I was satisfied. I was angling for the feature photo for this week's post and even though it's not a great photo it will have to do. I far prefer the one Oli took of us three years ago. But she wasn't there to take it on Friday night.  We ate well and toasted to many more Valentine's dinners and wedding anniversaries. It's amazing to think Eladio has been "my Valentine" since we first met in the summer of 1980 - 40 years ago - and that our love is still going strong. Love always needs stoking, so celebrating Valentine's Day is always important. We loved our dinner date at Tinglado.

We came home to find a quiet house. Our guest from the Canaries was in her room  but I wouldn't see her until this morning. Oli and little Elliot came home around midnight but I was too sleepy to greet them and after watching a rather silly old film on TV, I soon fell asleep. I was worried the glass and a half of Rioja I had drunk would give me a headache and it did, but thankfully, not a big one.

Saturday came and I think it was the first or second morning of this week without fog. I can't wait for spring and the good weather to come. The sun shined, brightening my spirits. Elliot too cheered me up as he does every morning he is here. He is so friendly and cheerful, especially first thing in the morning. Saturday was quiet with not much to report. Oli had invited her Uni friend, Anita, for lunch and I was happy to see her again since she recovered from cancer - Hodgkin's disease - and looking much the better. She was the picture of health and happiness. I was glad to hear too that her career in marketing has taken off in the right direction and, as always, she was a pleasure to host. When we last saw Anita, her hair was only beginning to grow. Now it has grown stronger and is curly which she is quite pleased about. She was pleased too to see little Elliot again and as with everyone, he was happy to be held and cuddled by her. Here they are together. What a lovely sight.

Elliot and Anita yesterday

I had to rustle up a decent meal at short notice as I hadn't expected the girls or their friends. So out came my trusted "bitki" (Russian hamburgers or sort of:)) from the deep freeze. I served them with loads of veg which is the custom in our house. Lucy also made lentils so there was plenty of choice.  The girls later went for a long walk with the baby and we slept a short siesta, taking our walk later. Because of the good weather there were many more people than usual. On bad days, it is often just us. The girls left soon after and it was just Eladio and I for a frugal dinner together before TV time in bed on our great big flat screened new smart TV. Last night we watched a lovely talent show, "Prodigios" (prodigy child or children). I'm not a great fan of talent shows but I like this one as it mostly classical with three categories, singing, instruments and dancing (not too keen on the dancing). That had us up till very late and so again I switched off way past midnight and was awake this morning at 5 damned thirty in the morning.

Feeling wide awake I got up at 6.40 and had the kitchen to myself and the dogs of course. If I am up first it's my job to feed them and it's a bit like feeding time at the zoo as they are so anxious hahahahaha.

Today looks like it will be another lovely sunny day. Not so in the UK where a new storm is blowing; Storm Dennis. Nothing is planned so I am looking forward to a quiet Sunday.

I hope you all have a good Sunday. No doubt many of you will have more exciting plans. If you do, I hope you enjoy them. Today is my dear friend Jacky's birthday and who is the same age as me. Jacky is one of my most faithful readers, so I am happy to send her greetings again in this post. I hope you have a great day my friend. I wish the same for you all.

Now it's time to sign off and get on with the day. Cheers till next Sunday,
Masha.