RIP Captain Sir Tom Moore, 600.000 vaccinated in one day in the UK, 4 years since I left Yoigo, Groundhog day and Candlemas, a photo from my past, Elsa our Labrador operated, Sound of Music Christopher Plummer dies and other tales of the week.

 Sunday 7th February, 2021

A photo from my past. Me with my mother and brother George and her pigs in Ruskington, Lincolnshire when we were small children. I treasure this photo, one of very few I have with my mother and brother.

Good morning to you all. How is life treating you? Well, I hope.

Life was not too good for  the 100 year old fundraiser Captain (Sir) Tom Moore and English national treasure.  He was admitted to hospital in Bedford with Covid last Sunday after suffering pneumonia.  I gave my father his book for Christmas called "Tomorrow will be a good day". The title seems ironic now. I was very very sorry for this wonderful centenarian who I knew the whole country was praying for. I was too. In a way, I really thought he would pull through but as you all know by now, sadly, very sadly, he passed away on Tuesday. I was stunned at the news and literally cried. This man meant so much to us all. He was a beacon of light and hope when the pandemic began and someone who inspired us all to go on. We shall go on, of course and we must use his mantra: Tomorrow will be a good day. 

Captain Tom in hospital with Covid. 

He never got his vaccine as he had been suffering with pneumonia at home before being admitted to hospital. However that day 600.000 people received theirs in the UK. That is more than we got in Spain in one week. On Monday we got 400.000 doses from Pfizer and a miserly lot of 52,000 doses from Moderna for a week's supply. The difference in the amount of vaccine supplies to countries is appallingly unfair but the virus knows no borders so what is the point of giving jabs to the whole of the population of one country when neighbouring countries can't? The UK government many not have done the best of jobs to contain the virus and not many countries have but at least they have got the vaccine programme right. The photo below comes courtesy of my Lancashire friend Joanne who got it from London's Evening Standard. 

The UK getting it right when it comes to the vaccine roll out. 

It makes me livid that my own 101 year old father is still waiting for his. I have been told he is first on the list after the care homes but Madrid had put the roll out on hold for 10 days (yes 10 days) for lack of vaccines.

We learned from the news that day that a year ago last Sunday the very first Covid case was detected in Spain - in La Gomera (Canary Islands) in a young German tourist.  And look what happened since. Who would have believed it? Yes, we are beginning our second year of life with Covid and it is not easy. That day Portugal and Spain closed their respective borders (ouch) and France is requesting a negative PCR test to enter the country. Many countries are taking similar actions and restrictions get tighter and tighter. 

One person who is blissfully unaware of Covid is my dearest grandson Elliot. That day saw him sitting on a wonderful hand me down "motorbike" which he loves. It was Oli who sent the photo below, not Elliot who hasn't sent any photos recently but constantly makes video calls and then hangs up (hahahaha). Here is the happy little boy.

Elliot oblivious to Covid enjoying his motorbike last Sunday

Because of Covid many people are suffering financially so I thought it was a complete scandal and insult to them when the contract between the Argentinian forward, Lionel Messi, and the Barcelona football club was leaked and it came to light that it, or rather he,  is worth 555 million euros!!!! This is for the period from 2017 to June 2021. So this verbally lacking ball kicker earns over 100 million euros a year just from the  Club. That's scandalous. Football players like him are considered heroes by some, not by me. 

Scandalous too was the treatment handed out by the police in Russia where peaceful demonstrations were taking place to demand the release from prison of the  opposition leader Navalny who was detained  after his arrival from   Berlin a short while ago.  He was there to be treated for poisoning with the novichok nerve agent and he faced a trial for missing parole - he is accused of some sort of trumped up embezzlement charges. There were demonstrations all over Russia for the second weekend in a row and this is getting ugly and could get uglier.

Brutal force exercised by the police during the Navalny protests last Sunday

Moscow went into virtual lockdown and not for Covid this time.  If you have been following the news you will know that Alexei Navalny is an anti corruption campaigner whose main target is today's de facto  "Tsar" of Russia, President Vladimir Putin. Recently he released a video on You Tube which shows Putin's luxury palace by the Black Sea - 55 million people saw it. Now one of Putin's cronies, another Russian oligarch, says it is his. I was furious to read on Tuesday after the trial that he had been sentenced to 3 years in a prison colony. 

Our Sunday was very quiet indeed. We shielded at home most of the day apart form our walk with the dogs in the morning. 

I woke up quite late for me on Monday morning. I wasn't down in the kitchen until 7.15 (wow). Olivia, my TV journalist daughter, was up later than usual too as she was off on Monday and Tuesday this week. She was owed holiday which she would lose if she didn't take these two days off. Of course there was nowhere to go but at least she could rest a bit as during the day Elliot would be at the nursery. Both Oli and Miguel would join us for lunch, a first without their baby. It was a bit of break for them and I can tell you, they need a break. 

Facebook reminded me that on that day 4 years ago I was at Court. It was a memorable and sad day marking the end of my 10 year career as Yoigo's Comminications Director. 

Not a happy photo - me 4 years ago at the Mediation court after being made redundant

Gosh has it been 4 years already? It has. That day was one of the worst in my career. I had to go to the Mediation court or whatever it's called (SMAC in Spain) for the redundancy settlement agreement. I went with two male colleagues, the three of us being the first to go after Yoigo was bought up by the smaller operator, Másmóvil. All but one of the top management jobs was filled by the latter. They were in their right but it was a bit immoral especially as we had all been promised we would not lose our jobs. Mediation would have been acceptable if it hadn't been for the fact that the lawyer handed me one of my male colleague's settlement documents rather than mine. That's when I found out my colleagues were receiving a huge settlement pay in comparison. Life is unfair for women in the corporate world. If I had my life over again I would never choose a job in the corporate world - it's a jungle and a battle ground out there and I dare anyone working in it to dispute this. No, I should have been a journalist but I realised that a bit too late in life. 

But the corporate world had and has its perks and I've had my fair share of them; wonderful travel, incredible hotels, amazing restaurants, free medical insurance, luncheon vouchers, etc and, of course, a company car. All those trappings generally keep you going in a job working for a multinational even if the company culture is hostile which it nearly always is, except for the first few years when a company starts up. It's difficult to give these perks up. I think it was the same day, 4 years ago, that I had to give up "my" luxury BMW X6. That really hurt. The company was decent enough to lend me a car until I got my own a month or so later. But when they lent me a company Mini with the Yoigo logo plastered all over it, it added insult to injury. I had been fired by a company and now had to drive a car with the company logo. 

The last time I drove my company car a luxury BMW X6. 

With some of the settlement pay I bought myself a lovely white Mini which I am very happy with but I have to admit I miss the BMW. We could have done with it during the snow I can tell you.

I didn't want to linger over negative thoughts of the court case 4 years ago and what being made redundant (a nice word to replace the real word, fired), meant to me after 10 years of a successful career with Yoigo. At the time it hurt a lot although I had expected it. On the point of turning 60, it was a difficult moment and I had to fight or crawl my way back in some way. No way was I giving up and living off my husband's pension. In any case we needed the income to keep up this great big house. Airbn was a success from the beginning and has changed my life a lot. So has turning freelance which was really difficult at the beginning. That's why I am so grateful to my ex Yoigo boss for finding me a role with a fiber network company as their freelance Communications Director. Both these new roles have given me the freedom to work from anywhere and although I don't have the trappings and perks of the corporate world I am basically my own boss. Also in this time I have managed to write a book - the biography of my father's life - and  bought a house. So, looking back, I don't think I have done too badly since the beginning of my new journey which started on 1st February 2017 at the Mediation Court. In a year's time I think I will be writing to tell you that I have retired as next February I will turn 65. Who knows what will happen then?

Not much happened on Monday, except for the lovely presence of Oli and Miguel at lunch. As I wasn't expecting them, we all ate my "cocido madrileño" leftovers along with the meatballs from the day before. No one complained. I did some freelance work that day, revising a document I have to read as a voice over for a University video. I was supposed to be doing it this week but it has been postponed till next Tuesday. It's all about the digital world in the EU, fascinating. Well, not really, hahahaha. 

Ah but I am forgetting my weekly Monday Skype call with Amanda, always a highlight. We love our weekly chats although there isn't much to tell. Somehow we always end up talking about our school days at St. Joseph's Catholic College in Bradford. That day had us reminiscing about our quirky, cranky, Irish music teacher, Mr. O'Rourke. He was a genius in a way but a terrible teacher. However he put together a wonderful choir and singing in it brings me the best memories of life at school. It has also given me a lifelong love of choral music. 

The day ended with a simple dinner of ham and fresh asparagus and then a bout of Netflix. We started a Turkish TV series called 50M2 but we were not impressed.

Tuesday dawned. It was a grey day and would get even more so. It was also "Groundhog Day" in the US. That's not something that ever really interests me but this year it did. That's because of so many comparisons of our lives today during the pandemic being like Groundhog Day, i.e. every day being Groundhog Day, every day the same. The use of the term comes from the film of the same name where exactly that happens. In reality Groundhog day occurs once a year on 2nd February in the USA. This is a tradition where a groundhog comes out of hibernation. If the animal sees its shadow  there will be 6 more weeks of winter and it goes back into its hole. If it doesn't see its shadow it means there will be 6 weeks of good weather and spring will come early. This year, amid huge snow storms in the US, "Phil, the groundhog predicted winter to continue. 

"Phil" the groundhog

My friend Joanne sent me a photo to tell me that 2nd February was also Candlemas,  the midpoint between the shortest day and the middle of spring.  Candlemas is also known as the Feast of Presentation, Presentation of the Lord or Presentation of Christ in the Temple.  It commemorates when the Virgin Mary went into the temple in Jerusalem to be purified 40 days after the birth of Jesus. On Candlemas clergy would bless and give out candles and these represented how long and cold the winter would be. Germans "expanded on this concept by selecting an animal - a hedgehog then - as a means of predicting weather. Thus Groundhog Day has its roots in the ancient Christian tradition of Candlemas. 

Definitely unaware of Candelmas but maybe more aware of Groundhog day, Oli surprised us by arriving at about 11 am to join us for our walk and for lunch. Later she and Miguel would continue their house seeking. We went for a walk to the local café that serves "churros" as Oli was craving for them. I wasn't and shouldn't have had my "porra" (the thicker version) but hell dammit, this was a treat from my daughter, our first treat of the week. I recorded the moment on my phone for this blog and for our family history in a photo. This is it:

A special moment with Eladio and Olivia who treated us to coffee and churros this week

I also took this one of Eladio with little Pippa enjoying the moment. He looks so happy doesn't he?

My smiling husband with Pippa during our coffee and churros treat with Olivia this week

It`s not often we get our younger daughter alone and it was lovely to be together. I shared the photo on the family Whatsapp group and in reply Suzy sent us a photo of herself in the middle of her teaching lessons all the way from Costa Rica. We wished she had been with us to but had to make do with a photo. She doesn't send many so I treasure it. 

Photo from Suzy on Tuesday - in the middle of her teaching lessons

Upon our return I was happy to see that my Criminal Records check document had arrived from Coventry with the much needed Apostille of The Hague. My lawyer will be giving it into the College of Lawyers to add to the documents submitted to request Spanish nationality.  I really hope that with this, my nightmare collection of documents which began 1 year ago is now over. 

My criminal records check with the coveted Apostille of The Hague arrived on Tuesday

That wasn't the only thing to arrive that day. My order of FFP2 face masks also arrived. Since the argument on TV about their efficacy, I was persuaded to buy some but so were millions of other people and they may well run out. I tried one on and it's much much tighter than the surgical masks we have been using up till now.  On the plus side the main advantage is that they protect the person wearing one and anyone nearby. 

Soon it was time for lunch. At Eladio's request that day I made one of his favourite dishes, "patatas revolconas". That's difficult to translate. "Revolcón" in Spanish means something like tumble. The potatoes are literally half mashed leaving parts of them whole. They are mixed with garlic fried in oil to which paprika is added. The mixture of the garlic and paprika with the potatoes is crowned with fried and crispy chunks of bacon. This was what mine looked like.

My patatas revolconas which I made for lunch on Tuesday

It was when I was whiling away the time - my repetitive Groundhog day - I learned that Captain Sir Thomas More had passed away. I was stunned, shocked and I have to admit it, I cried. I cried for this wonderful man who had done so much for us all. You all know who he is and you all know his story. When he started walking around his garden to raise money for the NHS aiming for 100 laps at 10 laps a day until he turned 100 - something that started as a joke in his family who wanted him to do exercise after a hip operation -  this, otherwise unknown, 99 year old could never have imagined how his story would go viral and inspire a nation and how famous he would become.  This Army veteran who, like my father, fought in WW2, went on to fight again in the only way he could, on the cusp of his 100th year, to fund the NHS during the pandemic and became as I said above, a beacon of hope; light in times of darkness. 

The impeccably dressed and impeccably mannered Captain Moore on one of his 100 laps around his 25m2 garden last year. 

It wasn't so much the money he made - an astonishing 33 million pounds, it was the man himself who inspired us with his story. He lifted our spirits when the world most needed it. A stoic Yorkshire man who hails from Keighley in West Yorkshire, it was his positive attitude that inspired us most, his non grumble, can-do  attitude and his mantra; "tomorrow is a good day", just what we wanted to hear. Like my father and people of his generation he had a determination to look on the bright side of life. It was also his elegant figure using a walking frame, dressed in a suit and tie that captured the eye and his impeccable manners. They don't make them like that anymore. That is why, I think he will be most missed. It is wonderful too that in these days when old people are not as respected as they should be, that Captain Tom, as he was known, rose to fame and became everyone's grandfather. All I can say is I salute you Captain Tom and RIP knowing you have lived your life to the full in the most positive way possible and that you have been an example to us all. 

I think on Tuesday the whole country was in mourning. That day thousands and thousands of people died of Coronavirus; numbers that in a dreadful way we are getting used to. But one person stood out and that was Captain Sir Tomas Moore of Yorkshire. He will be remembered by us all.

I was still thinking about him the next day, Wednesday morning and most of this week. Facebook reminded me that a year ago that day Eladio and I were in Santa Pola where we spent a week or so at our apartment near the sea. We would love to go again but are trapped and can't travel at all. So we just have to live on memories and on dreams of a better future. It's funny how Facebook reminds me every day of what our life was like before the Pandemic. The thing is we didn't appreciate what we had until it was taken away from us.

A year ago enjoying a coffee in the sun in Santa Pola. We had no idea what was coming then. 

When we were enjoying that coffee in the sun  a year ago, we had no idea what was coming and today we have no idea when the pandemic will be over, if it ever is. It's quite possible we may have to wear masks, wash our hands frequently and maintain social distance for a long long time. That's a daunting thought. Captain Tom would probably not agree so I shall try to think more positively. 

Known for his 100 lap walks around his garden, he would not approve either that the rain put us off our own walk that day. It was cold, foggy and rained and we stayed at home. Only Eladio went out to take Elsa our Labrador to the vet for her knee operation, poor darling. 

Captain Tom though would have been happy to hear the good news that day. Finally we had some good news about the pandemic.  AstroZeneca, the manufacturers of the Oxford vaccine, announced that day that after tests, it may well stop transmission of the virus by up to 67%. Our great worry about the new vaccines was whether they would also help stop transmission. It was splendid news. However, there are doubts about its effectiveness on people over 65 as this age group was not included in the trials. I was happy too to hear that the Russian vaccine Sputnik has proved in trials that it is 92% effective in protecting people from catching the virus. So far we have only focused  on western world made vaccines. In my opinion that is because of our lack of trust of anything made in Russia or China a legacy of the Cold War. However, as the need for more and more vaccines is evident, we may well see Sputknik on the market in Europe soon. 

Lunch was unfortunate. I had steak and one bite broke an already fragile back tooth. A couple of nights before I had broken another one on the other side of my mouth after biting on a piece of bread that was too hard. Oh God, suddenly I had two broken teeth and could not continue eating. Well, I could, but it had to be something soft.  Trying to eat that day with two broken teeth made me realise just how difficult it must be for my 101 father to eat. He tells me he has 8 teeth left but somehow manages to enjoy lots of biscuits. I always make his food as soft as possible but will be more sympathetic now to the state of his teeth. All his life he looked after them religiously and was faithful to the dentist he had in his Cambridge days, Mr. Carr. Where Mr. Carr moved, my father went to see him and his teeth were always well looked after. I had a dental appointment on Thursday and instead of going along to treat one broken tooth I would need another one to be treated too.  Dr. Garralda (my Mr. Carr) who has been my dentist for more than 30 years was very unfortunately unavailable as he is in hospital (not Covid thankfully). That meant I would have to put myself into the hands of one of his partners. I have so much faith in him I wasn't sure I was going to feel safe in the hands of anyone else. I hoped I wouldn't need extensive treatment or implants meaning I would have to go back and back again because of the danger of catching the virus, not to mention the cost. 

While this was happening Elsa was being operated on and we were hoping for the best. The trauma vet rang us in the late afternoon to tell us she had come out of surgery. He said it had been successful and that he had been able to repair the ligament on one of her knees and that luckily the meniscus was not affected.   The area around the ligament  was however very inflamed which is why she was probably in so much pain. During the surgery he did a biopsy on her lips to see how the infection she has in her mouth is doing. It is just not going away despite months of treatment. Poor Elsa. We wouldn't see her until the next day and the kitchen felt funny with just 2 dogs. I later read it will take up to 4 or 5 months for her to be able to walk normally again. 

That was nearly the only piece of news I had to tell Suzy that afternoon when we skyped, she in her office - the beach - and Eladio and I in our bedroom using my trusted iPad, one of the best gifts I ever received in my Yoigo days. She seemed in good spirits and is enjoying her new life in Costa Rica. I have a feeling she is surrounded by men wanting her attention, something that wasn't happening here at home in the Pandemic as there were none around. Well, I hope she enjoys their attention but doesn't get hurt. Suzy tends to give her all - heart and soul - and often ends up on the wrong side of a relationship. Just enjoy Suzy, just enjoy. 

At 6 pm that day a national clap was held in the UK to pay a tribute to "Captain Tom". I wish I had been there to take part. I was, in spirit. What an impression he has left on the nation. 

The day ended watching a WW2 film (yes, that's our genre) on Prime Video. It was harrowing but incredibly interesting. Called The Innocents it features nuns and doctors which, as you know, is my thing too. 

A harrowing film

The basic story line is how a young French Red Cross trainee doctor tries to help a group of Polish cloistered nuns who have been raped,  a story inspired by the aftermath of mass rapes by Soviet soldiers. What a film. It's not for everyone's stomachs but is quite a story.

I needed something more calming after that and returned to The Dig, the film everyone is talking about and which tells the story of the finding of the Anglo Saxen burial ground in Sutton Hoo in Suffolk. I first watched it with Eladio in Spanish and oh how much it loses when it is dubbed. This time I loved every minute of it. I had thought it was a bit slow the first time round but as a friend pointed out that is the beauty of it and it was. I had not noticed that the actor, Ralph Fiennes who plays the self taught archeologist, Basil Brown, was the well known British actor who played Amon Goeth in Schindler's List. Watching the original and not the dubbed version I was able to appreciate Fienne's amazing attempt at imitating the Suffolk accent. He was brilliant at it. I don't know Suffolk but I do know Norfolk and there are similarities. Apart from having people on hand during filming who were from Suffolk he also went on a local pub crawl - good for him. Read more about that here. 

Ralph Fiennes as Basil Brown in The Dig

Thursday came and that morning I would go to the dentist for my emergency appointment. But first I had my breakfast (everything soft:-() and of course watched my younger daughter in her programme on TV as I do every morning. She never fails to impress me but that day she impressed me more. She was standing in for one of the presenters. Well, actually, she was sitting at the big table with Monica, the presenter. She looked so professional. She usually reports on Covid and she did but she was happier reporting on politics. The big case this week is about a man called Luis Bárcenas who was the treasurer of the right wing government (PP) when it was led by Mariano Rajoy. The case has been going on for years about how the PP, with the help of Bárcenas siphoned off money from donations and bribe money for contracts, money which was also handed out to leading members of the government. This week Bárcenas has said he will turn state's evidence, accusing Rajoy of having destroyed documents and receiving money in cash. He said he had proof. This is the biggest corruption case facing the PP, now the opposition party.

Olivia reporting on the Bárcenas case on Thursday morning

Eladio watched her all morning but I had to go to the dentist. I hadn't been since the pandemic and oh how things have changed. I was greeted by an astronaut type figure who took my temperature before letting me over the threshold. I sat in an empty waiting room and was called on time. It was a Dra. Jiménez who would be my dentist as my usual one is in hospital (get well soon Rafa). She was so so young, probably in her 20's and did not inspire much confidence until she started her examination of my mouth. Instead of 2 broken molars, she found 3. How lovely. She wanted to save them as the root and nerves were fine. She suggested dental inlays, a new procedure for me, called "incrustraciones" in Spanish. I had never heard of them but they are a sort of porcelain filling which lasts for eons. Meanwhile she put in temporary fillings so I wouldn't have to eat like a baby. I have to go back this month and next and it all sounds quite simple. I left feeling impressed with my new dentist and happy there was a relatively simple solution. 

On my way back I stopped at our favourite café, Alverán, to order my own birthday cake for tomorrow. I was amused to hear from the owner that my husband had just been by and ordered one for me. Oh how sweet. Well, we didn't need two so I left it at that, except for changing the type of chocolate from dark to white, white being my favourite. 

I was home on time for our walk and gosh the sun came out making it much more pleasant. We are now able to resume our forest walks but have to be careful with some of the trees that fell during the snow storm. 

Our siesta was interrupted by the arrival of Oli and little Elliot. They surprised us and I was delighted to see them, especially our 16 month old grandson who rushed into my arms. We played with him all afternoon. I had bought him a Playmobil bus with the characteristic "clicky" figures and Amazon delivered it that afternoon. He seems to like it. Here he is with Eladio examining his first Plyamobil toy. 

Eladio and Elliot examining his first Playmobil toy

When our girls were children they loved their "clickies" and I hoped Elliot would too. 

Elliot and Oli stayed for dinner and the night so we had a pleasant family dinner which consisted of "tortilla" (Spanish omelet), salad and ham.  Miguel arrived later and we saved him a plate. Before going to bed, Eladio had to go to the vet to pick up poor Elsa, our Lab. He took ages to come home and I was in bed and watching the last episodes of Call The Heart when he did. I wouldn't see Elsa until the next day and was horrified to see her wearing a huge plastic collar.  As soon as I saw her, I removed it but only for her to have her breakfast. It is on for a purpose, to stop her licking the wound and infecting it. She doesn't seem to like the collar but stoically accepts it. 

Elsa with her halo like collar on - Eladio called her Saint Elsa (haha). 

 

Eladio said the collar on her in the photo looked like a halo and called her Saint Elsa. That actually fits her as she is such a good dog, the best behaved we have ever had. Even the vets said that and they see a lot of dogs every day. She will have to be stoic as she now faces up to or 5 months until she can walk properly again, poor thing. We feel so sorry for her. 

Friday dawned and as usual Facebook reminded me of my memories, or rather photos I had posted in previous years. I was most struck by one with my Mother and brother. In that photo, a photo from my past, George and I were probably about 5 and 3. My mother, Princess Elena Von Lieven, must have been in her very early 40s and she looked so happy.  I am on her lap with her hand on mine (oh how I loved her long tapered hands) and in the background there are some of her pigs. This was when she had a sort of farm to feed us all and we lived in a bungalow called Fermain in the small village of Ruskington in Lincolnshire. We lived in Lincolnshire, farming country, because my father's job was at the famous RAF college, Cranwell where he taught Russian to the cadets. I don't have many photos with my mother or brother that are anyway decent. My father had an old Brownie camera but he wasn't the best photographer. However,  this photo, although a little blurred, is a close up and I can see my mother's beautiful face. Some people say I look just like her. I never thought I did. This is a copy of the original photo where you can see more of the pigs. My mother with her innate sense of humour gave them names like Kruschchev for example. I loved my childhood in Ruskington where both George and I first went to school. If you are my age and were born in Britain, you will remember using a slate and a piece of chalk to learn to write. Imagine! Oh that does make me feel old.

Photo from my past. Must have been taken in 1960. Notice my mother's 60's dress. 

Fast forward some 60 years and this Friday had me feeling very sorry for myself. I went for my 10 am appointment with the maxillofacial specialist to see the lump on my tongue, one I have had for over a year and a half. I didn't tell you or anyone, except for Amanda, but when the skin doctor saw it a week ago, she said a biopsy was needed to rule out malignancy or the spread of it. She referred me to a maxillofacial consultant. Oh those awful words. I walked out of the hospital already planning my funeral and wondering what life for the rest of the family, especially my husband of nearly 40 years, would be like without me. I was hoping for a church funeral with English hymns and to be buried in England and not cremated. I reflected too that if death was to come, I could face it and be thankful for nearly 64 years of a rather acceptable life. Thankfully these plans can now be put on hold but you can imagine my worry in the past two weeks. I didn't want to tell my family so as not to worry them. Happily as soon as the lovely maxillofacial specialist saw the lump on my tongue she pronounced it was  "fibroma", a lump a bit like a scar that forms on your tongue often because of your teeth rubbing against it. She removed it there and then in a short operation including local anesthesia. That hurt but the operation didn't. She would then send it off for  a biopsy and I will get the results in 2 weeks but she was fairly confident it was a common benign fibroma. I was very, very relieved. The consultant told me it would hurt and boy was she right. It was awful and I could hardly eat or swallow all day. Thus my feeling very sorry for myself all day. I was prescribed a common painkiller and I used paracetamol but it didn't work much. As for eating, well that was difficult and I was told to only eat cold food. That meant I couldn't eat the bean stew I had prepared for lunch and ended up eating a yoghurt with pureed fruit. 

I came home feeling tired and a little whoosy from the operation but I had to go out as it was our weekly shopping day and the cupboards were bare. Oli and Elliot came in the afternoon and I did my best to play with him but was feeling pretty lousy because of the pain in my mouth. Eladio entertained him when he brought up some of the girls' old toys. Wow that was  a bit of  trip down memory lane. I specially remember getting them  a lovely boot house. To get it I had take out a year's subscription to a baby magazine. It was endearing to see Elliot play with toys his mother had played with when she was his age. 

 

Elliot playing with our daughters' toys, relics from their past. He loves the boot house.

When Elliot had had enough of the new toys, it was time for dinner.  I did my best to come up with something special but the meal was a bit of a fiasco for me as I had to eat very slowly because of the pain.

It was during dinner I found out that Christopher Plummer, the actor who played Captain Georg Von Trapp in my favourite film, The Sound of Music, had died that day aged 91 (not of Covid thankfully).

Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer in a scene in The Sound of Music

That was so sad to hear. I loved him in his role as the stern captain who runs his house and family like a ship but who softens when Julie Andrews comes on the scene. It was like the end of an era as my cousin Marie remarked to me when I posted the news on social media. The girls (my daughters) were gutted too as they were brought up on this film, influenced by me. I remember seeing the premiere in 1965 when I was just 8 and I have adored it ever since. However, it seems, Plummer, of Canadian origin (I thought he was English), didn't always like it himself, calling it The Sound of Mucus, mostly because he didn't like the role which he described as "cardboard". He mellowed to it over time and I'm glad he did because although he acted in many other films he will always be remembered as Captain Von Trapp. RIP Christopher Plummer, you always delighted me as Captain Von Trapp even if you didn't like his character yourself. I loved it. 

All I wanted after dinner that night was to go to be bed. I took another paracetamol and slept fitfully. The good thing  though was that I felt a lot better yesterday morning. 

Saturday was a family day as Elliot and his parents stayed the night again and for lunch. They went out house seeking in the morning while we went on our rather rainy walk. Not much else happened that day worth recording. It was just another Saturday in lockdown, another "Groundhog Day" for us and most people around the world. Oh when will this end? Judging by the figures, no time soon. If last Sunday the worldwide figures for infections and deaths were 103.167.644 and 2.230.217, today they have risen to 106.377.451 and 2.321.363. On the bright side the rise is much lower than other weeks. In Spain and elsewhere we are seeing a downward trend. It's very slow but decreasing. However, only when there are 150.000 cases per 100.000 or less will we be able to contemplate some form of relaxing of the rules. There is talk of Easter holidays but I doubt travel will be allowed until the Autumn.  Meanwhile, we shall just have to stick it out.

Today is Sunday my friends, another Sunday in lockdown and I don't expect anything much to happen. Tomorrow though will be my birthday and something nice to break the monotony. You will hear all about it in next week's post. Meanwhile my friends, stay safe.

Cheers for now,

Masha