Last few days in Asturias, The enchanted path (El Camín Encantau) again, more areas to go into lockdown in Spain, terror attack in Vienna, the US Elections, walk from El Cuetu to Meré and back, Playa de Torimbia, Purón riverside walk, leaving Asturias, home again, Biden wins - bye bye Trump, Suzy in Costa Rica and other stories.

 Madrid, Sunday 8th November, 2020

Beginning the climb up the very steep "Enchanted path" which I soon became disenchanted with as it was such a steep climb. 

Good morning all.

We are now back from Asturias and although it's great to be home I am pining for our lovely new (old) house in the village of El Cuetu where life is so quiet and goes at a slower pace than anywhere else.

This was the week - and what a week it has been - of the US Elections and not any elections. It was the week Donald Trump would lose and Joe Biden would win and all that that means for society; in a good sense. We have all been on tenterhooks since Election Day on Tuesday and it wasn't until last night that a clear winner emerged, the 77 year old democrat, Joe Biden, together with Kamala Harris who will be the first woman and first black and Indian American woman to be Vice President.  But more about this later. 

Last Sunday was the beginning of the end of our stay in El Cuetu. It was a bit sad to see Olivia, Miguel and little Elliot leave at around 10 am. I felt flat after they were gone and the house seemed empty. I also missed Suzy who by then was installed in her new apartment so far away in Jacó, Costa Rica. 

We set about washing bed linen and didn't do anything special in the morning. I somehow didn't have the heart to go on another excursion somewhere near. We could have done though as the weather was fine, temperatures reaching 20ºc although it wasn't sunny. Instead we stayed at home and just enjoyed the house to ourselves. We spent time outside on our little terrace, reading and at about midday had our morning cup of coffee together. Here is Eladio enjoying his coffee, always the highlight of our mornings. Oh I do love coffee, don't you? Or are you a tea person? I like my tea but get much more pleasure out of a good cup of coffee.

Eladio on our terrace last Sunday morning

I had finished my book - the biography of the Duke of Windsor - what a sad story and waste of a man - and not having anything else to turn to, I read the news on my phone of course. During the pandemic, I hear of many people who have switched off completely to the news. But I can't do that as I am a news freak and have to have the latest on Covid around the world at the tip of my fingers. If that day there were over 46 million people infected worldwide and a death toll of 1.2 million, the figures for today have risen to over 50 million and 1.256.558 respectively. Covid continues to dominate our world with more and more restrictions everywhere. When will it end or will it never end? It's ironic to think that last year on New Year's Eve we were all wishing each other a great new year. Well, we had no idea what was coming and 2020 will go down in history as one of the worst years ever for mankind. But will 2021 be any better? We are living this history so will only know when it comes to it. Right now life is difficult to say the least. 

But on to more positive thoughts as otherwise this will be yet another blog post from me ranting on about the repercussions of this ghastly and very frightening virus that is disrupting all our lives.

I couldn't even get away from it when I had a skype call that afternoon with my dear friends Kathy and Phil who live in Keighley in Yorkshire. Kathy was very down the week before and I told her my mother would have said: "shitty, could be shittier" to which my school friend replied "no it couldn't get shittier". But yes it could. It would indeed be very shitty if we caught the virus. Somehow, so far, we have escaped it so should count our blessings.

We only went out on Sunday in search of milk. We had run out, so drove to the nearest shop in Puente Nuevo about 4km down the road. The shop was shut so we drove on into Posada where the shops were closed too. Thankfully when we asked a waiter from a bar where we could buy milk, he offered to sell us a bottle from his bar. That was very kind. Now I would be able to enjoy my "café con leche" for breakfast on Monday morning before we went to do the weekly shop.

We spoke to Suzy on skype that afternoon - she is 7 hours behind us in Costa Rica. She wanted to try out her internet connection before her first online lessons from her new home the next day. She teaches English to Chinese pupils at Chinese evening hours. This means that the lessons begin for her at 4.30 am Costa Rican time! Not sure I could do that. So far she is happy with how she has settled in and is happy with her apartment. We are just happy she is happy. 

We had a nice lunch and dinner that day with what was left of our provisions and ate at the kitchen table after which we watched the news quietly in the lounge. I was in two minds as to whether we were lucky not to have Elliot interrupting us or whether I missed him. Well I didn't miss him when I was watching the news hahahhahaha. There were stories of violent demonstrations across the country with youths burning containers and breaking shop windows.  These were not peaceful demonstrations against Covid restrictions but motley groups of hooligans looking for an excuse for exerting violence. I was disgusted.

I fell asleep after the news that night and slumbered through some film Eladio was watching about a boxer - he has a fascination for boxing, hahahhaa. and by 11 pm or so was in bed. I slept exceedingly well that night and was awake just before 7 am on Monday morning. 

I was delighted to receive an email from a fellow student of Spanish at Nottingham University, Eugene C. I have never seen him since we graduated in 1980 but have been in touch sporadically in the last few years. He wrote to tell me how much he loved my blog. Wasn't that nice? I love hearing from my readers and was touched by his words. Here is an extract of what he wrote: "Loved the column this week. You turn everyday life into a modern epic chronicle and describe simple pleasures so beautifully". I know from the statistics I see on my blog that I have a huge audience from all over the world but don't ever know who reads it, so this lovely positive feedback made my day. It's great to hear from readers. Another reader, Veronica, once told me my blog was "addictive". I wonder why. If you are reading this today, do please reach out and tell me why you read my blog. After all, it's fairly personal and mundane and I often wonder why so many people read it, especially people I don't know. 

That morning, we did a lot of domestic tasks. While doing them we had Olivia's programme on my iPad and watched her a couple of times live on TV. It was her first day back after her week's holiday here and I know it must have been difficult for her to have to get up at 4.30 am again. But she looked great and was word perfect. As usual, her role was to present the latest data on Covid. She is now our in house expert on Covid in Spain and around the world. Here she is explaining how the virus is affecting different regions in Spain. Oh gosh!

It was back to work for Olivia this week - here she is reporting live on Covid in Spain on Monday morning. 

We washed the sheets of both girls' beds and hung them out to dry. They wouldn't dry well though as rain came at midday. But it was sunny in the morning and I suggested to Eladio we go on our morning walk before the rain forecast for midday came. It would be the last of the sunshine for a few days. We chose to go on the much promoted "enchanted walkway" (El Camín Encantau - that's Asturian for  El Camino Encantado). We had aborted that walk with Oli and co the week before as the terrain was not suitable for Elliot's pram. The beginning of the walk along a river bank is delightful, especially with the sound of the river, Río San Miguel, and the autumn colours. Here is Eladio with Pippa at the beginning of our walk. Notice how warm it was as my husband was only wearing a shirt; no jumper or coat.

Eladio and Pippa at the beginning of the walk along flat and gentle path along the riverbank

The path stopped being enchanting for me at least, when the hard part began. We stopped for photos at the beginning of the climb, a climb I would become disenchanted with, swearing I would never go on it again. Eladio took a couple of photos of me, one of which I have chosen as this week's feature photo. For the record I am wearing Oli's raincoat which she had left behind. It's from Decathlon and I love it. 

At the beginning of the route with the lovely name. 

It soon got so warm though that I had to take it off. I  got disenchanted with the walk because it was to be all uphill and extremely steep. I love walking but never enjoy walking uphill if it's very steep and this felt a bit like rock climbing. But,the views of the Valley of Ardisana were beautiful and I kept stopping both to rest and to take pictures.

Eladio stopping to read information about the area and enjoy the views of the valley on our walk on Monday

Apart from the view of the mountains,I enjoyed seeing the cattle from farms in the fields, especially the cows with their young. There is a tiny new born calf in the picture below. I'm such a sucker for young four legged animals and always have to take photos as if I couldn't get enough of them; like my "goat moment" last week if you remember. When I shared this photo on social media someone commented it looked like Switzerland. It does in many ways. 

Cows and their young along the "Camín Encantau" on Monday morning

The path got steeper and steeper and not a one who is in love with climbing hilly terrain, after about 45 minutes walking up the pathway, I decided I was fed up with the Enchanted path and turned on my heels and walked back down. Walking down the steep path was quite treacherous and I was worried I would fall. I swore I would never go on that walk again and I won't. 

A reward was waiting for us at the café at the beginning of the route, a bar called something "Venta" which serves divine coffee by the Oquendo brand. In fact we liked it so much the last time we were there, that I ordered Nespresso compatible pods direct from the Oquendo website. They would be waiting for us at home. I was surprised to see they cost a lot less than other compatible Nespresso pods. 

From La Venta we drove to Posada to do the shopping as we had nearly run out of supplies. But we hadn't factored in that 2nd November was a holiday in Asturias and most of Spain. 1st November, All Saints' Day, was passed on to Monday. Thus the main shops, including the three supermarkets in Posada were all closed. Thankfully we found a small fruit shop and a butcher open so we could get lots of fruit and veg and some meat, etc. We would have to go back again on Tuesday to get the rest of the supplies. It was while we were at the butchers that we found out the President of the Asturias Autonomous region had announced the Principality, as Asturias is known, would close down all non essential shops, bars and restaurants from Wednesday this week. The local government also wanted to impose lockdown at home - what I call house arrest - but needed the central government to approve it, something difficult to do as the current state of alarm does not contemplate obliging the population to stay at home. Asturias was a shining example of how to deal with Covid until recently and now numbers are rising, although nowhere near as in other regions in Spain. The average number of cases per 100 thousand is now at nearly 500 which is extremely high. Melilla, that Spanish enclave in Morocco, has the highest percentage of cases in Spain and that day also proposed going into home lock down. Oh again I have to say, what a sorry state of affairs.

We would hear more about it on the news at midday. Covid dominated the news of course but over the last two weeks, news of the US election campaign was on a par  and I, for one, was totally fed up with it. I was only interested in the outcome which I was sure would see that idiot of a man, Donald Trump, reelected. But I did have my hopes that he would finally be ousted and my hopes were satisfied as were many people's around the world. But I didn't know that on Tuesday and the whole week has been like a cliff hanger binge watching type TV series I couldn't get enough of. 

We stayed inside all afternoon as it rained throughout. I turned to Netflix for entertainment and came across a film based on the famous Indian novel, "A Suitable Boy" which I enjoyed. I had to stop watching though as at 5.30 I had my weekly scheduled skype call with my great friend Amanda who lives in Devon. We had a good old natter for at least 1.5 hours. Our topics of conversations reflected the top news items both Covid and the US    elections. We both tried to steer away from such depressing topics but found it difficult. I always enjoy my calls with Amanda and it's lovely to touch base with my oldest friend.

Soon it was time for dinner which we ate watching the news live on my iPad. I was horrified to hear of yet another terrible Islamist  terrorist attack in Europe, this time in the historic capital city of Austria, the usually very peaceful Vienna. A gunman opened fire in at least 6 different locations in the city which included an area near Vienna's central synagogue that at the time was closed, thankfully. Bullets were shot at people outside cafes and restaurants, just before curfew began. There were scenes of chaos and people running away from gunshots in the streets of the city centre. The attack left 4 people dead and 22  wounded, some seriously. The gunman was shot dead by the police. What senseless murders. Worse is the fact that these terrorist attacks kill innocent people going about their daily lives. This is a new kind of war we shall never get used to. What a dreadful sign of our times. 

I fell asleep watching the rest of the news until it was time to go up to bed at past midnight. It took a while to fall asleep and I was awake at 6 am on Tuesday morning. 

Tuesday came and would be an important day both for the US and the world as it was election day; even though many many people had voted early or voted by post. We would not get an outcome until last night. All the news outlets were making predictions but predictions are often useless. Remember when last time Hilary Clinton was on course to win, according to the polls? Well she didn't win even though she got more than 3 million more popular votes than Trump. The US election rules are the strangest in the world. I can't begin to understand them but it boils down to the fact people don't vote for the candidate directly and depends on how many states each candidate wins. I learned more about the system this week. It's so archaic and like nothing in any other country. Each state has its own rules, it's the media who calls the winners based on their own predictions and they were not always the same.  Then you get the fact that even though more people may vote for one of the parties, the popular vote is not overriding as was the case with Trump and Clinton in 2016. That's because of the very weird concept;  the Electoral College that  is at the heart of the system. People don't vote for the presidential candidate, they vote for "electors" in each state who are the people who do vote for president. That is strange but what is totally unfair is that each state gets a different amount of votes  and it's often not proportionate to the population of the state. As my cousin André pointed out to me,  for example, California with a population of 38 million has 55 electoral votes which means it takes over 705 thousand Californians to equal 1 electoral vote. Whereas, in Wyoming with a population of just over half a million, it gets 3 votes and it takes 194 thousand Wyomingites to equal 1 electoral vote. That makes every vote from Wyoming worth 362% what each vote from California is worth in the elections. That is also why certain states have more influence than others.  

I swore if Trump lost I would drink half a bottle of cider to celebrate but deep down suspected that wouldn't happen. Now I will be drinking it.  How awful it would have been if that dangerous clown were to have won another 4 years to further destroy America. Yet nearly half the votes went to him showing Trumpism is not dead and that the country is totally divided. 

Back in quiet little El Cuetu village, we carried on with our own little lives. It rained for most of the day but we did go out. In the morning we went to Alimerka - the local brand of supermarkets - to get provisions as the day before it was shut. We then went to have our last cup of coffee out, as from Wednesday all bars and restaurants would close down in Asturias. Again we chose    La Venta which serves the Oquendo brand of coffee. Meanwhile at home my "cocido madrileño" was bubbling away. Cocido madrileño. For those of you not in the know, is is a traditional chickpea based stew prepared with meat and vegetables and is very popular in the winter. It's a hearty meal and was perfect for a cold and rainy day.

My "cocido madrileño" which we had for lunch on Tuesday

It was a bit odd to be making a dish from Madrid in Asturias. Ah but I used local ingredients which are much better than those to be found at home. As usual I made far too much but no worries as we would eat it as leftovers later and I turned some of it into soup, a soup my husband adores. 

It rained all day but finally there was a respite at about 5.30 and, determined to get some exercise, we dared the weather and went for a walk locally. 

Eladio and Pippa on our walk on Tuesday

With Pippa we walked from our village at the top of a steep hill down to the main village, Meré. 

On our walk on Tuesday evening - El Cuetu at the top of the hill and Meré further down 

Not for nothing our village is called "El Cuetu" which could translate into "hill" and a steep one at that. On our way we saw horses, cows, goats, sheep, lemon trees (yes!) and even giant pumpkins. How exotic I thought. I always wonder why there are so many lemon and palm trees in this area as, after all, this is the north of Spain. I have not really found any explanation yet. 

Some of the sights on our walk on Tuesday evening

We took the long way around the village to extend our walk and came across a pretty old bridge where of course I had to have my photo taken. Here I am enjoying the moment and the autumn colours.

On the pretty little wooden bridge with Pippa on our walk on Tuesday evening

We were greeted by a local, Antonio, who seemed to know all about us - news spreads like wildfire here hahahhaa. Having been born here, he was able to tell us a lot about the two villages. He knew our house well, having been to a wedding there in the 60s!

We came home to a warm house and guess what? Yes it was time for dinner. All we seemed to do in El Cueto was to eat. I think it's the mountain air that increases our appetites hahahahha. Later we watched the news in our little lounge with me sprawled across the very comfortable settee with Pippa at my feet. The news programme was making a big thing of election day in the US but at that time it was early in the morning there so there was no real news at all. We would have to wait for the next day to get any indication of how things were going for the two candidates.

Wednesday came and the first thing I did was check the US election results. At that time in the morning Biden was leading by a close margin. To me it looked obvious then that Trump would win again. How depressing. But as the day went on Biden's margin increased steadily. By the end of the day there were 264 votes for the democrat and 214 for the republican.  Trump doesn't like defeat and despite the figures, was declaring he had won, even though no way had all the ballots been counted. He dangerously claimed that the election results were a fraud. I bet he wouldn't have said that if things had gone his way. He has also made even more a clown of himself, by threatening to contest the results with his tribe of lawyers and to go to the US supreme court. So far he has no proof to offer that the elections were rigged, to use his words and he won't find it. The US election system may be archaic but at least it is thorough and above suspicion. 

I turned my thoughts to other things as it was useless following events over the pond until there was a much clearer outcome. That day I tried my hand at making a stew out of "verdinas", a local type of bean. They are green and supposed to be a delicacy. They turned out a treat and would be eaten with gusto after our excursion that morning to the Torimbia beach nearby.

My "verdinas" bean stew

It rained most of the day but there was a respite in the morning from 12 to 15h which we took advantage of. Always keen to explore new places in the area - there is so much choice - and that morning we visited the very popular beach called "Torimbia", about 14km from our house and near the village of Nembro. We had been recommended it in the summer but never got to go. Interestingly it is a nudist beach but we had no intention of taking off our clothes as it was far too cold. To get there you have to drive to a makeshift  car park at the top of a very steep hill and then walk down to the beach which is at least 1km long.

The views from the car park were spectacular and from where we could see both the Torimbia and Toronda beaches.

View from the top of the hill 

We duly walked that stretch of windy road and it seemed endless, far longer than 1km. But the sun came out and we enjoyed stretching our legs and the wonderful views on our way. You can see the road we walked along to the beach in the photo below. The beach is more like a bay as it is sheltered by hills. I loved it and vowed to go back in the summer where if we go we shall have to take off our clothes. I would gladly do that although I doubt Eladio would. 

Approach to the beach

We had the beach to ourselves

Once on the sand we felt as if we were in heaven. The sand was easy to walk on and the beach incredibly clean. The sea wasn't too rough either and the sun was out. What heaven indeed. I had to have a photo. At the time I had my coat on but later took it off.

Enjoying finally standing on the beach of Torimbia

Pippa and Eladio were just as happy and here they are on the beach enjoying the moment as much as me.

Eladio and Pippa on the empty beach

Instead of walking back the way we came, Eladio suggested we walk up a path at the end of the beach which he thought would also lead to the car park. But it didn't and we ended up walking at least 3 more kilometres. But it was worth it for the views. I especially liked one sight I saw;    a field of cows in front of the Toronda beach. It summed up Asturias for me, agriculture and the sea. Of course there are mountains too but not in the picture. No wonder Asturias is a paradise for sourcing some of the best fish and meat in Spain, along with the other regions on the north coast, sometimes called "the green Spain" - Galicia, Santander and the Basque Country. 

Cows by the sea, a typical scene in Asturias

We got a bit lost but finally found the car park and soon we were in our warm vehicle and on our way home. My verdina bean stew felt like a wonderful reward after the morning's exercise. We didn't venture out again that day as shortly it began to rain which would continue until late that night. The rest of the day was spent quietly. The highlight was skyping with Suzy in Costa Rica. If it was raining here it was pouring there. It is of course the rainy season in that central American country but according to Suzy, even more than normal as the country was being affected by the tail end of a hurricane in Guatemala Nicaragua. and other parts of Central America.

Thursday came and it was the first day of the 4 week lockdown imposed in the UK.  We saw many scenes of people reveling in the streets and in the pubs the night before to make the most of it before lockdown. I can understand the need but it seems so wrong. The first day of the new lockdown happened  to fall on 5th November, "Bonfire night". I imagine the fun was just not the same although I do hope the children enjoyed it as much as possible despite the restrictions. I used to love Guy Fawkes day when I was a child and always remember my dear Father lighting the fireworks in our garden. We sometimes went to a bonfire in Heaton Grove by the pond and enjoyed the night with neighbours. I always enjoyed all the food that was made especially the  jacket potatoes and home made toffee. Thanks to Covid it will not have been the same this year. 

Thursday was our last day in El Cuetu. It was quite a sunny day despite the chill in the air. I was surprised and happy to see 3 horses in one of the fields next to our house that morning. Oh how I love horses. Here they are grazing happily and not minding me taking a picture. I'm sure they would have been happier if I had given them some sugar cubes or old bread but I had neither.

Horses in a field next to our house. Oh how I love horses

I googled more walking routes in the area and came up with a trail to the mouth of the River Purón which comes down from the Picos de Europa mountains. The reviews seemed to be good so off we went. I was mostly attracted to the fact that the route was generally flat and not steep. I am not a one for climbing and have never been. When I was a little girl, my father would take my brother George and I to Ilkley Moor most weekends. He used to call me his "little Moors girl" but I never liked the climb. I wouldn't mind it today as the Moors are not very high compared to the mountains in Spain. To get to the village of Purón you have to drive on an extremely narrow road. It reminded me of the Dales although with different scenery. There were no "passing places" as such so thank goodness there were no other cars. In fact the place was deserted and we were the only walkers that day. Although masks are obligatory both inside and outside in Spain,  Eladio and I take the liberty of not wearing one on our walks if there is no one else about. It's always a relief not to wear one. 

We were in for a treat on this riverside walk. At times it reminded me of the Strid river near Bolton Abbey (Yorkshire) although the Purón river is much wider and not as treacherous. We took the proverbial photos and my dear husband took some of me. If he still wants to take photos of me that must mean he is still in love, bless him.

At the start of our river side walk on Thursday morning

I, of course, take countless photos of him. Here he is by the riverside with our devoted companion Pippa.

Eladio and Pippa on our walk on Thursday morning

The sun came out and we enjoyed the walk, admiring the view the whole time and vowing to come back. The walk to the mouth of the river is about 3.5km and the walk there and back took just over 1 hour. 

River Purón

The path comes to an abrupt end when you reach  the source or mouth of the river fed by water that comes from high up the Picos de Europa mountain. We took a few photos, admired the views and walked back to the village to get our car. 

Eladio at the mouth of the River Purón on our river side walk on Thursday, one to be repeated.

By then it was nearly lunch time and we were both starving. We both agreed this was a walk to be repeated and to take visitors to. It is just a 20 minute drive home so we were soon back. First things first though and before we ate I had to bathe Pippa. No way were her dirty paws touching the floor Eladio had cleaned that morning hahahha. Lunch was the "cocido madrliñeo" leftovers which went down a treat.

The news on the TV was repetitive with no new updates on the US elections. As to Covid, well, the figures kept going up everywhere - depressing. I had a short siesta on our comfortable sofa but was woken up by my daughter Oli who needed help with translating stuff for her MC role the next night at a Gala event organised by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation. I was surprised these sort of events were still allowed. That took me the best of about 2 hours but I had time on my hands and no baby to look after, I was in a better position to do the task than my daughter. I learned a lot about the WTO hahahahhaa. Not sure it was stuff I needed to know. 

By the time I had finished it was time for our dinner. I made a healthy tuna fish salad which we shared watching the repetitive news.  I later fell asleep on the sofa while Eladio watched an old Clint Eastwood film on the TV.

I was awake at 6.50 on Friday morning. There was lots to do before we could hit the road to drive home. We had to wash all the bed linen and towels, clean the house, pack our clothes and food and also make a picnic lunch for our journey. I was sad to leave our lovely house in El Cuetu and took one last look at it before we left. 

Last view of our house in El Cuetu before we left for Madrid on Friday morning

I wondered when we would be able to go back which can only be after lockdown is lifted and when will that be I wonder? We can't go to our house in Montrondo either or our apartment by the sea near Alicante because both areas are in lockdown. We can only stay in the Madrid region for the moment and count our blessings the particular area where we live has one of the lowest percentages of Covid and that shops and restaurants are still open. It's sad to see areas of Spain with bars closed as they are part of the country's culture. There is nothing I like better than having a cup of coffee in a cozy bar here or on a street terrace. My heart goes out to bar and restaurant owners and workers who are the big losers in this fight against Covid. 

It was 23ºc when we left El Cuetu but as we neared Castilla León and Madrid the temperatures dropped and rain appeared. We had our picnic lunch at another god forsaken roadside petrol station with our coats on as it was so windy. The tuna fish pie and "bollos preñaus" (pregnant buns - i.e. mini bread rolls stuffed with chorizo; an Asturian speciality) which I had ordered from "Toño" the baker who delivers bread to the village, tasted delicious. They also satisfied our hunger pains. 

We were home just after 5 pm after 2 weeks away. I felt bad about leaving my father for so long but he was magnanimous about it and said he had been well looked after. I was so glad to see him looking quite well for his age, 101. I printed the last two editions of my blog for him which I knew he was waiting for. He said to me the next day that he always looks forward to my blog - bless him. And long may he continue to read it I should add. 

Then there was the unpacking to do which took a while. Eladio had to wash the dogs, especially Elsa our Lab who was stinking. She must have rolled around in something unnameable and the whole kitchen stank. All was well when the dogs were washed, their beds cleaned and they were lying on their freshly laundered blankets. They were delighted to see us and happy to receive their evening treats when we had dinner. Dear Lucy, our home help and my father's carer, had made two small tortillas for our dinner. 

That night I began watching a new series on Netflix, "The Queen's Gambit". I loved it so much I devoured 4 whole episodes. While I was enjoying the series about a young girl from an orphanage who turns out to be a chess prodigy, Oli, our youngest daughter was on stage at the UN WTO gala event at the new and very luxurious Four Seasons Hotel in Madrid. In the hours leading up to it she had asked me for lots of help with some of the terminology she would have to use. As an MC for the event she had to say everything in English and then in Spanish. 

Oli presenting the awards at the WTO event on Friday night.

We were pleased to hear from her that the organisers were delighted with how she did her job. That doesn't surprise me as, apart from being a TV presenter and reporter, she is quite a seasoned event presenter. She was exhausted though afterwards with all the preparation, looking after Elliot and of course doing her own demanding job and getting up at 4.30 from Monday to Friday. 

I woke up at 6.50 yesterday or so I thought. It was only when I was down in the kitchen feeding the dogs that I realised it was really 5.50. Well, it was too late to go back to bed by then so I made my own breakfast and enjoyed reading the news on my iPad. The race to the White House was still on with no real new results although it was looking more and more likely that Joe Biden would be the next incumbent. We wouldn't know the results until 5.30 pm.

In the morning Eladio and I went to do the food shopping as after our absence there wasn't much in the cupboards. We also went to the chemist and then rewarded ourselves with a cup of coffee at a "churros" place. That morning I had gone on the scales and was surprised to see I had actually lost a kilo after the excesses in Asturias. To celebrate I had a "porra" (the thick kind of churro). We are lucky that in the Madrid area  bars and restaurants are still open. I wonder for how long. 

It was great to have lunch with my father again and I'm sure he appreciated eating with us rather than on his own. So many old people are on their own during this pandemic, many shut away in so-called care homes. Not my father, thankfully. I could never ever put him in a home and never ever will. 

I tried to get some sleep after the midday news but it escaped me so I turned to Amazon Prime and watched a very intense war and love story between an American and Spanish doctor (Charlize Theron and Javier Bardem) called The Lost Face. Directed by Sean Penn, it was terrifying to watch the true horror of the war scenes. It had me riveted until the end though.

The film did not have a good ending but the day did. At about 5.40, my dear friend Sandra, who is as keen on news as I am, sent me a text to confirm Joe Biden had won the elections. That had me back at my phone scrambling to confirm the news. I was so happy that Trump had lost and that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris had done what seemed impossible. 

Kamala Harris and Joe Biden celebrating their victory yesterday

While democrat supporters went out to the streets to celebrate, the loser, Donald Trump was playing golf and still would not accept his defeat. No doubt he will continue to cause trouble but there is no doubting the results. The winners will be moving into the White House in January and will have a tough job of undoing some of Trump's mistakes. Even tougher will be controlling the pandemic, improving the economy affected by the pandemic as  well as doing something about the dreadful health system the so-called greatest democracy in the world has. My hopes too are on for better policies for immigrants and on measures to save the planet as well as gun control and a take on racial issues. 

I don't know much about either candidate. They seem different. She is of Indian and Jamaican origin and he is an Irish American. She is in her 50's and Biden is about to turn 78, making him the oldest US president in history.  During the campaign I read he was a dull and boring candidate but a non radical democrat, so a safe candidate for those afraid of left wing politicians. He was of course Obama's VP. Those who know him well talk of his tough strength of character and sense of decency. I like that. I only read the other day what a difficult and tragic life Joe Biden has had. His beginnings were very humble but he was bright at school. He lost his first wife and his daughter in a car crash which seriously wounded his other 2 boys. He found love again in Jill Biden, a teacher - a first lady teacher (good) -which must have given him stability but then he lost Beau, one of his sons to cancer aged just 46. I can commiserate with that as I lost my own brother to cancer at 46 too. I wish them both luck and as the saying goes "God Bless America". 

Congratulations came from around the world, including from Boris Johnson. I don't think the Democrats like him much for many reasons and not only for being Donald Trump's look alike and buddy in the UK.  I'm not sure whether the Queen congratulated the President Elect. Maybe she was too busy attending events for Remembrance Sunday. Wednesday saw her in public wearing a mask for the first time and then again  when she visited the grave of the Unknown Soldier. I never thought I would live the day when I saw the Queen wearing a face mask. Of course she should because of Covid, as we all should. But somehow, it brought it all home to me. 

The Queen wearing a mask this week. 

Who doesn't have to wear a mask in public is our older daughter Suzy in Costa Rica. It is not mandatory there but I know she wears one when she goes out. She hasn't been out much because of the torrential rain but she has when the rain was not quite as hard. She has invested in a second hand bike and seems to be loving Jacó. I asked her for a photo to record her first 2 weeks in this new country and to share with you. Here she is. Isn't she lovely?

Suzy's first photo from Costa Rica, right outside her flat

She told us there were raccoons in the complex where her apartment is and also skunks!! She doesn't seem bothered though. I don't think I would like that. She is enamoured with nature in this Central American country. It has to be so lush with all that rain. One day, I hope we can visit it if she is still there after the pandemic, whenever that is. As soon as possible I wish. 

Suzy too was delighted Trump had lost - I think that is how most people see the results of the US elections. Oli too when we tried to have a video call that Elliot kept interrupting. Eladio and I had a glass of wine to celebrate for dinner. Later we watched full coverage of the news until there was nothing more to be learned. Then we began to watch the second half of the series I so love, The Queen's Gambit. I binge watched the last 4 episodes, switching off my light at about 2 in the morning. If you haven't seen it, it is one of the most popular series on Netflix ever and I can understand why. 

Today is Sunday and it will be a quiet day for us. Hopefully we will get our walk in this morning and I look forward to the lovely "gloupsy" (stuffed cabbage) that Zena will make for lunch. 

Who knows what next week will bring. More news on the results of the US elections of course and on Covid. But hopefully there will be positive things to report on in next week's "column" to quote my friend Eugene.

God bless you all,

Cheers till next Sunday, Masha