Sunday, 21st March, 2021.
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| With my father on his 101st birthday last May 1st. Happy Father's Day Daddy. You are the best father in the world. |
Good morning friends and readers. How has your week been? This week marks the anniversary of our first week in lockdown last year. It's incredible to think that we have now lived with Covid for more than a year. How much longer I ask? Quite a while I'm afraid. The vaccine roll out continues to be slow in Spain and in the EU mostly because of lack of supplies. God knows too when it will reach the underdeveloped countries. Only then will we be able to move forward. The virus continued to play its havoc with numbers going up or down depending on the country. Worldwide the figures this week compared to last Sunday increased from 120 million cases to 123.488.430 and from 2.659.836 fatalities to today's death toll which stands at 2.723.061. In Europe the numbers are going up mainly due to the more infectious British and Brazilian variants. France, Portugal and Italy have now gone into their third lockdown. Hate that word, lockdown. So, no we cannot think that it is going away anytime soon and most continue our vigil.
That word vigil was much in the news in the UK last weekend and all this week. After the terrible death of the 33 year old marketing executive, Sarah Everard who is from York and was killed in London at the hands of a police man from the institution that is supposed to protect us, women in England held vigils to mourn her death and to protest for more safety on the streets of England. An official demonstration was not allowed because of the danger of the transmission of the virus but still women went to Clapton Common and many other places in England to protest. It started off peacefully but slowly went wrong. Many women took part, all anonymous, except for one face from the "Palace". Yes, Kate Middleton turned up and without a mask. People on Twitter vented their rage accusing her of making a publicity stunt to improve the royal family's image after the famous interview with her sister-in-law.
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| Kate Middleton at the vigil |
I have no idea whether that was her idea. I prefer to think she was there for Sarah too, making her point. One newspaper quoted her as saying that she too knew what it was like for women to walk the streets at night. We all do don't we? How long she was there I don't know but I imagine her bodyguards would have whisked her away when things went wrong. As women got angrier, the police went on the attack and would you believe it arrested women protesting. It got completely out of hand with the police becoming heavy handed and there were calls for the resignation of the head of the Metropolitan Police. Below is one picture that for me sums it all up. Make your own conclusions, it's easy to do so.
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| A very vivid image of how things went wrong at Sarah's vigil |
I mean, it was a policeman who killed Sarah and it was policemen who attacked women protesting about her murder. How ironic can you get? Ok, so the vigil or march was not allowed, but feelings were so high, the police would have been better off to leave them alone, Covid or no Covid.
I'm not one for demonstrations and I don't like crowded places but I think if I had been in London I too would have taken part in the vigil. Sarah and all other women like her deserve that. After all she could have been our daughter or our sister or our friend.
It's a coincidence that last Sunday was Mother's Day in England, not something I was brought up to celebrate - after all it's on different days in different countries and it was not something my mother took much notice of - no doubt because her Russian aristocratic family did not either. But today it's big business. When I was young it used to be called "Mothering Sunday", a term I much prefer. If I think about it, I agree it's a good day to celebrate to give homage to mothers for bringing us all into the world - no mean feat - and for all the angst of bringing us up. That day, like on many other days, my dear school friend Geraldine whose parents are buried at the same cemetery as my mother (Charlestown near Baildon, Yorkshire), put flowers on her grave and sent me a picture. I don't know how to thank her. No doubt, she understands how much it means to me. I am eternally grateful. As I said to her, I hope I can soon visit my homeland and put flowers there myself and also meet up with her and other school friends. I can't wait for that day. Her act of kindness touched my heart.
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| Thank you Geraldine for putting flowers on my mother's grave on Mothering Sunday |
Last Sunday Oli and her family left as they would be visiting Miguel's parents for lunch that day. But we still had some quality time with little Elliot who turned 18 months this week. A whole year and a half. Wow! I had to have a photo of him before he went. Here he is with Eladio as they both watch Pippa, our spoiled miniature dachshund, eating our cat, Phoebe's food. He loves to see the animals eat. No doubt he will turn into a dog lover and a lover of animals in general like us all.
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| Elliot with Eladio watching Pippa eat Phoebe's food last Sunday, just before he left |
When they left we went on our walk. It was sunny and there were signs of spring everywhere. We were back early, at about 11 am and I had plenty of time on my hands. Thus, true to my British roots, I decided it was the perfect time to make this year's batch of hot cross buns. At home as a child we only ever at them on Good Friday. I have now been making them for three years in a row. They are not easy to bake and they take ages as, according to the recipe I use, the dough has to rise three times, an hour at a time. I started at 11.30 or so and only took them out of the oven at 15.30. Thus it took me 4 hours to make 15 hot cross buns. I can see that going into the bakery business would not be very profitable for me. In any case they came out a treat - not counting the not very well made crosses - I was going to freeze them all but couldn't resist the temptation to eat just one with a cup of tea in the afternoon which I spread thickly with butter. Wow, my taste buds exploded in joy.
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| My home made hot cross buns a new tradition in our home |
If the hot cross buns were about my English roots, lunch had to do with my Russian roots. It's funny but that day I chose "pelmeni", a Russian dish my mother used to make, for our lunch that day. I didn't make them myself as my mother used to do. That's very finicky and difficult. These days I get them via Zena, our Ukrainian weekend carer, who buys them frozen from a Russian or Ukrainian shop she knows in Madrid. Pelmeni are a bit like ravioli and are always smothered in dill (very Russian) and "smetana" (sour cream). There is no sour cream to be found here so I usually use thick Greek yoghurt instead. I had hoped to leave some for our Russian born guest Felipe but I'm afraid we ate them all.
I showed my hot cross buns to my dear Uni friends, Sandra and Adele when we had a skype call that afternoon. I only wish we could have been together to eat them with a nice cup of tea. We can't wait to see each other in the flesh so to speak. It's been too long. But thank God for modern technology that keeps us in touch.
I had some spare time in between the call and dinner. That's when I finished a great British TV mystery series, "Collateral" and turned to another TV series, this time set in Wales, called "Hinterland". As I watched it - and it's quite good - I couldn't help thinking too of my Welsh roots and Irish as well. In this blog I have spoken about my English and Russian roots but I have to remember that my grandfather was Welsh and his mother was Irish. His mother, Marian Margaret Collins (1862-1940) was actually born in Delhi but both her parents, my great great grandparents, were Irish, in the times when Ireland was part of the UK. So I am such a mixture. I never used to think about my Welsh roots until I wrote my father's book and until I visited Anglesey where he - Reverand John Collins Lloyd (1887-1961) - was born and brought up. My surname is Lloyd, one of the most common Welsh surnames - means grey by the way - These were the thoughts in my head as I watched Hinterland and became familiar with the accent of some of the characters as well as their very Welsh names.
I lay these thoughts away when it was time for dinner. Then it was time for a marathon TV session. First we watched a very interesting interview with Spain's equivalent of chief medical officer during the pandemic - Fernando Simón, a fascinating and endearing character who has become the face of the nation during Covid. Then came a boring political debate during which I fell asleep. I had told Eladio to wake me up promptly at 23.45 as that was when I would have my only chance to watch the very controversial interview with Meghan and Harry. In Spain Antena 3 TV finally bought the rights to broadcast it here one week later. I had my chance on Saturday at a more civilised time but Elliot was here so it was out of the question. Thus I finally got to see and hear the Duchess and Duke of Sussex in the now famous interview conducted by the mega interviewer Oprah Winfrey. All I said about it in last week's post still stands. I can see they were not happy at the palace but life at the palace is like it is and they should have known and could not have the best of both worlds. Apart from the "race card" and "mental health card" which they played very cleverly, I was struck just how obsessed they were with safety for Archie and how or because of which he wasn't given the title of Prince. Oprah could have done her homework and told the public that in normal circumstances the great grandchildren of the Monarch are not given it. Archie will get it when The Queen dies and his grandfather becomes King. So what about the cost of security? Do they really think the palace should pay for that after they have walked away? The fact is they have more than enough money to cost it themselves. Prince Harry inherited more than 23 million pounds from his mother and now gets an allowance of 5 million pounds per year from his father, Prince Charles. But that didn't come out in the interview. Instead Harry said his father had cut the purse strings for a while. How dare he criticise the hand that feeds the mouth in front of the whole world? The couple may have had issues they were unhappy about but in my mind they are not the victims they wanted to portray. They have more money than most people will never earn in their whole lives. What have they got to complain about?
The interview finished at after 2 in the morning and I was bushed and in great need of sleep. I got up, late for me, at 8.15 and was soon down having my breakfast and reading the news headlines. If the big news in the UK is women's safety in the streets, it's political infighting here.
There are to be elections for the regional government in Madrid on 4th May after the coalition government ruled by three parties from the right wing fell apart. I won't try to explain it as even I don't really understand it. What I do understand is that now there will be a fight for leadership in the Madrid region, the most coveted in the country and usually a safe seat for the right wing. There was a political bombshell on Monday morning when our pony tailed communist Vice President of the Government and leader of Podemos,
Pablo Iglesias, announced he would leave the government and stand for leadership in Madrid so as to oust the "fascist" parties.
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| Pablo Iglesias |
Is this really a fight between the communists and the fascists? Not in my mind. It's more a fight for personal and political gain. I am happy to see Iglesias leave his post as VP as he is the main cause of trouble in the coalition Government made up of the Socialist party PSOE and his minority communist party, Podemos. Podemos rose to recognition a few years ago but is dwindling and running out of steam. Some say he is going for Madrid leadership to save the party. If he fails it will be the end of him politically. All the news in Spain, this week has been about political infighting and I hate it. I find it pointless and boring and also a dreadful obstacle in the fight against Covid. The last thing we need in this country for things to work is polarisation but that's what we've got and have always had in Spain. Pathetic! I do wish politicians would think more about the people and less about their own careers.
Iglesias' bomb shell came just after we returned from our walk. Just as we arrived home, thee nurse had rung to come and see my father and arrived a while later. She came to change his bandage and to see how his leg was after the drainage procedure at the hospital the Friday before. It was looking nasty but a lot better. All the blood clots had gone. She removed the bandage, cleaned the wound and bandaged it again. She left enough material for Lucy to change it daily until her next visit. She was insistent he keeps his leg up but that is uncomfortable for him. My father was very lucid and verbal that morning - unusually so as he is normally very quiet. I went in to see how he was and he replied "quite optimistic". He was in very good spirits. He also told me just how happy he is with Lucy, his carer. He described the lovely breakfasts she prepares for him, how well she showers him and even gives him a massage. It was good to hear these words from my father who doesn't hand out praise often. We both agreed she is very kind to him and is probably the best carer he has had. Lucy thus got praise from me after these words, praise that was due to her as she does a very good job. She needs motivation as we all do and as she heard me she smiled quietly. Thank you Lucy for looking after my father so well.
It was soon lunch and we were to be joined by Oli and Miguel who were house hunting nearby. They came without Elliot and it was strange to see them alone. Of course the main topic of conversation at the table was about the political fight for Madrid and Pablo Iglesias' surprising move. They were off again after lunch and our afternoon was thus very quiet.
My highlight was a very long skype call with Amanda; more than 2 hours. Our topics of conversation were mostly these mentioned in today's blog post but also about our families and our houses and lives in general as well as our plans for the future - i.e. retirement. We met aged 10 and 11 on the first day of school at St. Joseph's College, a Catholic grammar school in Bradford. Our form was called "1 Kappa". Forms were named after letters from the Greek alphabet (Alpha, Kappa, Omega and Sygma) and girls were divided according to the first letter of their surnames. Our surnames were Leonard and Lloyd so we were in Kappa. Who would have thought when we first met, that 54 years later we would be skyping (impossible) and talking about retirement? We spoke for 2 whole hours until it was dinner time both here and in England. I made a tuna fish salad for Eladio and I and we were soon in bed watching the 9 o'clock news all about the political infighting in Spain (boring). Eladio quickly fell asleep. I watched a bit of Hinterland but also soon fell asleep. We were both much in need of falling into the arms of Morpheus and again I had quite a good night.
Tuesday came and the headlines were much focused on the problems of the Astrazeneca Oxford based vaccine, once again. This vaccine has suffered negative publicity almost from the start. Over the week a few thrombosis cases were detected and there was worry they were linked to the vaccine. Its administration was halted in many countries in the EU, including France, Germany, Italy and Spain and others across the world.
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Most experts were saying the cases are not linked to the vaccine and would have happened normally with or without it. I did read though that the type of blood clots found were of a specific kind and very rare indeed. There were some 37 cases reported among 17 million people and a handful of deaths. In Spain there were 3. It seems to affect women under 50. If Europe was halting the vaccine, that meant the already slow pace of the roll out was exacerbated. The countries halting the vaccine were waiting for the European Medicines regulator to make its decision this week. The decision came on Thursday and this was the main message: "Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca: benefits still outweigh the risks despite possible link to rare blood clots with low blood platelets". So yes they are saying it is safe but don't rule out the risk. I have my doubts about the Astrazeneca vaccine and would far prefer Pfizer or Moderna but I am also asking myself if there have been any cases of blood clots linked to them too and the only news I can found is in the British tabloids which I don't trust really. This PR nightmare for the Oxford vaccine will not have helped reassuring those who were already skeptical about having a vaccine. I would not like to be part of the Communications team of Astrazeneca and I wonder if they even have one. They have gone from one PR crisis to another and I don't see them responding as they should.
On Tuesday the UK had some good news though as Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, aged 99, left hospital. He had been a patient for 28 days, the longest time he has been in hospital.
All we know is that he had an operation on his heart for an ongoing condition and that he had been initially admitted because of an infection. No doubt the Queen will have been very relieved and glad to have him back. I got the photo above from the front cover of The Times and he is not looking good. I wish him a speedy recovery. I would love to know what is going on in his mind vs a vs the Harry and Meghan interview. He must have cringed when he heard. The poor man must have gone through a huge ordeal for someone his age - soon to be 100 so I wasn't happy to see age discrimination type posts on twitter likening him to the "Walking Dead". It's a series I haven't seen and would never want to . More respect please.
Our Tuesday was very normal. We did nothing out of the ordinary and only left the house for our walk. My highlight was a 2 hour long skype call with my friends Kathy and Phil. It's lovely to talk to them every week. If only we can meet up this summer. I sincerely hope that's possible. That will depend on vaccine roll outs here, when Spain opens its borders to tourists and also vaccine passports which will be coming soon. There was a glimmer of hope this week when the Balearic and Canary Islands have opened German tourists flocked there. But we also have young tourists, mostly from France, flocking to Madrid every weekend to enjoy the fewer restrictions in the Spanish capital. They come because restaurants and bars are open and curfew is at 11 pm. They are also able to come because the PCR test is free in France. They also rent apartments and hold parties which is not allowed. I can understand the need to balance health and economy but I don't get why tourists are allowed to flock to Madrid and bring the virus with them or take it back. If Spaniards are not allowed to travel abroad for tourism, why are we letting tourists come. The national average of cases per hundred thousand in Spain is now at about 128 but in Madrid it is over 200. As many parts of France went into lockdown this weekend, including Paris, no doubt there will be fewer French tourists coming to party in less restrictive Madrid.
Phil and Kathy have had their first jab but not me. I can only hope that we will all be able to travel in the summer; maybe not abroad but at least in our own countries. On my walk that day I was dreaming of going to our houses in Montrondo, Asturias and Santa Pola. Kathy asked which one we would go to first and I didn't hesitate to say Montrondo. That's because Eladio wants to see his 99 year old mother in her care home in León and who he hasn't seen since January 2020. That's an awful long time. I am so glad I have my father here at home with us. No way is he ever going into a care home. From Montrondo we will go to Asturias, when it is allowed of course.
The day ended watching a strange and sad Turkish film called Paper Lives. It's a charming but heart breaking tale of children brought up on the street. Set in Istanbul where we have been twice, it is probably very real but the film is actually a bit depressing. I then turned to Outlander. I had heard of the series many times but didn't think it would be my thing. I didn't think it would be my thing as fantasy is involved, not something I usually like. I was encouraged to watch it by Sandra and Adele but our tastes are not always similar. As the week progressed though I eventually got hooked.
Wednesday dawned and brought the sun again. We are loving this spate of sunny days although it got colder as the week advanced. On Wednesday our dear little grandson, Elliot, turned 18 months. He is now officially one year and a half old. Wow, time flies. This time last year he was with us during the whole of the first lockdown from March to June and we have had the privilege of seeing him grow almost in front of our eyes. I asked for a photo to mark the day but didn't get it until the next day. I did have a video call with them though later in the day.
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| Elliot the day after he turned 18 months - here in the sand pit at the gardens where he lives. |
That day I got a sudden reservation for a family group who are Chinese and were coming for the weekend, from Saturday until tomorrow morning. With the restrictions in place I wondered why they were coming but I wasn't going to turn down their business which I much need. We have got used to our one guest, Felipe of Russian origin who has now been here since the beginning of January. We don't see him much as he is out everyday. I usually only coincide with him in the kitchen briefly in the morning and in the evening and only sometimes. Who do see a lot of him are our dogs, Norah, the beagle, and little Pippa, our mini dachshund. He buys Frankfurter sausages for them and they adore him, especially Pippa. Pippa is never partial to anyone outside the family and it's so funny to see how she greets him. She lets him pick her up, kiss her and play with her, something she only lets us do. No doubt Pippa now thinks our guest is part of the family. I had to have a photo of the two of them for the record and here it is.
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| Our guest Felipe who has completely won over little Pippa, our spoiled mini dachshund. |
It was a busy morning for us on Wednesday. We went for our walk in the glorious sun with our two dogs and came back in time for a coffee for me before setting off again. Eladio drove me to the dentist where I had an appointment to put in my third dental overlay (semi crown). It's a simple procedure. The difficult part is to get the bite right afterwards and it took my dentist a while. I then had my teeth cleaned and was rather alarmed that the overlay came out and had to be put in again. I think it hadn't cemented enough. Thus we had to go through the whole procedure again. I walked out with my mouth not quite feeling right. The bite was strange. I may have to go back for some "fine tuning". From our dentist in Majadahonda, Eladio and I drove to a Yoigo shop. Yes, a shop belonging to my former employer, Yoigo, where I was their Communications Director from before the launch for 11 years until 4 years ago when I was made redundant. It was funny walking into the shop - there are not many of them now - when I was so much a part of the company's beginnings. It brought back memories of my doing the PR for the first shops that we opened. Eladio waited outside and I took a photo just to record the moment, a funny one for me, one of mixed feelings, sweet and bitter.
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| It was funny to be in a Yoigo shop again |
You're probably wondering why we were there. Well, it was just routine but something that couldn't be done on the phone unfortunately. We wanted to merge our subscriptions so that one of our mobile phone lines would be cost free. I have to say the shop owner or assistant, Barbara, was extremely efficient. Of course I didn't tell her about my connections with Yoigo. What for? It's a part of my past now and if I do look back on it which I do, I prefer to remember the good times of which there were very many.
We were home on time for lunch with my father. It felt funny eating so thankfully we had soup and lentils - all soft on the teeth. The afternoon was spent lazily watching Netflix. I persevered with "Outlander"thinking it was not my cup of tea. But after 3 or 4 episodes, I was literally hooked.
Thursday was a bit hectic and nerve wracking. First I had a bit of an issue with my father's follow up appointment at the hospital. They hadn't rung to give him it so I rang. They then told me it was that very day at 13.45. To take him I needed an ambulance which his local doctor couldn't organise so quickly. Thus I rang and postponed the appointment until next Thursday when an ambulance can be organised. Next came trouble with the Chinese guests. To cut a long story short they thought they had booked a whole house for themselves and not just rooms and wanted to cancel. I had three unpleasant phone calls where I was threatened and then the phone put down. They wanted to argue one of them had Covid which was an excuse. I reckon they had wanted to hold an illegal party and invite more guests which they couldn't do with us here. I had to put it into the hands of Airbnb - i.e. the cancellation which had to come from them and not me. Long story but it had me bothered all day. Thankfully it was resolved the next day; the group would not be coming but I would get 50% of the fees. That was a positive outcome I must say.
We did our weekly shop on Thursday as Friday was a holiday - Father's Day in Spain and the main shops would be shut. So off we went Eladio and I. We had a mundane day. What was not mundane was a historic piece of news. That day the Spanish parliament passed a bill for euthanasia to be permitted in Spain. Thus it has become the fifth country in the world to regulate the practice. The condition for the practice is that patients must "suffer a serious or incurable disease or a serious or chronic condition". That will bring relief to a small group of people for whom life is unbearable. I hate the idea of euthanasia but then again I do think people should be allowed to decide for themselves.
I made a lovely lunch of cream of carrot soup followed by bean stew - heavy but delicious and spent the afternoon watching Outlander, only stopping for dinner. I would carry watching it into the night until about 2 am. Gosh that was late.
Before I move onto Friday, let me record here a positive story I read in the news. That day the
European Tree of the Year for 2021 was awarded to a 1000 year old Spanish holm oak (evergreen oak), sometimes called a " carrasca" here although I have always known it as "encina". The magnificent tree can be found in the tiny village of Lecina with just a handful of inhabitants. This tree was given the most votes and I wondered why. Well the prizes go not for just the magnificence of the trees but for the stories they tell.
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| The tree of the year is from Spain. A 1000 year old holm oak in the tiny village of Lecina (Huesca) where neighbours meet and brides and grooms have their photos taken also produces tons of acorns for free range pigs to feed on - their staple diet. These pigs give the finest Ibérico ham. |
On
the website of the organisers, "Environmental Partnership Association", the tree
has been called "The tree of witches". This is the description on the
website: "Legend tells of the time when witches populated the Guara
Mountains, where they danced and celebrated the holm oak. A thousand years
later, it's the union with people that continues to be the cause for why the
holm oak still stands in the snall town of Lecina in Alto Aragón (Huesca). with
only 14 inhabitants. The neighbours chose it and continue to choose it for
their celebrations. It is surprising because of its proximity to the houses
whilst being such an old tree and yet it is so alive; the secret will surely be
the care and company of Lecina's neighbours and those witches". This little story was a breath of fresh air among all the negative news we read and see these days. I know my father loves trees so he will be interested in this little anecdote. He brought me up to recognise most British trees by their leaves. So when I came to Spain so many years ago I was not familiar with the "evergreen oak" or "holm oak". It may be Spain's most indigenous tree. Google didn't come up with a clear answer but what I did read is that the "encina" (the Spanish name) is the National Tree of Spain. Ah and its botanical name is Quercus Ilex, Quercus of course being the general name for the oak tree of all types. There you have it, a small lesson in trees and a bit of back slapping for my adopted country, Spain.
Friday was Father's Day in Spain which falls on the day of the Saint Joseph (San José), the father of Jesus. So many boys born on this day are called José or a variation of it and there are many. Most "Josés" end up being called "Pepe". We made a day of it as we were joined by Oli and family. Thus the three fathers from our family were all there that day on their day; my own dear father, Charles Courtenay Lloyd, my husband, Eladio, the father to our girls and Miguel, Elliot's father. I'm sure everyone thinks their father is the best in the world. Well, I do too. I want to take a minute to reflect on just what a wonderful father I have. He is now 101, nearly 102 and is still with me and for that I thank God every day. He has been there for me always; I mean always and in good times and in bad. He is my rock just as my own husband, the girls' father is their rock and mine too. They are the two most important men in my life. I had the most caring father in the world. He wasn't the touchy feely type nor has he ever been very demonstrative but he has been the quiet rock in my life and I have learned much from him; above all how to appreciate the small pleasures in life. That's why I have chosen a photo of us together for this week's feature photo. It was taken last year on his 101st birthday on 1st May.
I searched for photos of the girls with their father and Miguel with Elliot to post on social media. I was lucky later to be able to take one of Oli and Eladio actually on the day. Here are the three photos; Eladio with Suzy, Eladio with Oli and Miguel with Elliot. What a wonderful father the girls have and what a wonderful father Elliot has too. We ladies are blessed to quote my friend Sandra.
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| Olivia with her father on Father's Day on Friday |
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| Suzy with her father - taken in 2017 |
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| Miguel with Elliot |
As I was digging out these photos, Oli and Elliot appeared. My daughter had taken the day off as the nursery was closed that day - it was a holiday in 7 regions of Spain. That's why we had the pleasure of their company on Father's Day and would be joined by Miguel for lunch, making Father's Day complete.
It was a lovely sunny day and Oli, Eladio, Elliot, the dogs and I went on a walk. We walked to the local shopping centre and had coffee with churros and porras - delicious. Just sitting in the sun and enjoying our company and the food and drink was one of the highlights of the day. Elliot was asleep and gave Oli a bit of a rest she much needs.
We came home to make lunch. That day I prepared a new dish - a pseudo Chinese recipe which is basically chicken breast with almonds, carrots, onion and garlic all soaked in soy sauce. I found the
recipe online and it is easy peasy. Everyone loved it so I shall add it to my repertoire which badly needed some new dishes. Being a Chinese dish we had it with rice.
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| My pseudo Chinese chicken with almonds dish I made for lunch on Father's Day |
The afternoon was spent lazily by everyone. I watched more of Outlander and then joined Oli and her family in the library lounge where Elliot was playing with his toys. He loves his toys but is most keen on his books. Thus I had to read to him for the umpteenth time the story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Oh how he chuckles while I read it. Meanwhile, I had orchestrated a video call between Suzy, far away in Costa Rica, and her father. She needed reminding it was Father's Day as, as she points out, she is living a different life and is not aware of these things. I was glad to hear them talking together and didn't join the call so that they would get quality time together. I know Eladio appreciated that.
Believe it or not it was soon time for eating again - oh how we love to eat in this house. My friend Amanda had sent me a pseudo Spanish dish where the principal ingredient is a vegetable called "Swiss Chard". That's plain "acelgas" in Spanish and I did not know the name in English. Now I do. But I don't think it's widely known in England. Chard is a bit similar to spinach or rather the leaves are; not the stems. This is the
recipe - in English this time - to which I added chopped chorizo to make it a little more Spanish. I think Spaniards would be more likely to fry garlic and chopped ham to the chard as they do with a lot of vegetables. Oli helped me cook while Miguel entertained Elliot and Eladio helped a bit in the kitchen.
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| The dish I made for dinner on Friday - based on Swiss chard and chickpeas |
Dinner was the end of a wonderful day spent together; a celebration of Father's Day yes, but a celebration of being a family. Family is the most important thing for me and probably all of you. If my family is fine, I am fine. All in all we had a wonderful day together.
The day ended with Eladio and I watching a film about a Spanish policeman and his son who becomes a heroin addict. The story is about the disintegration of their family. How awful. I didn't like it and was tired, so soon fell asleep.
Amazingly I woke up at 7.30 on Saturday morning. Oli and family were up too and we had breakfast together, a very pleasant one too. Elliot was watching Peppa Pig on my trusted iPad while eating. He didn't look up for the picture.
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| Breakfast with Oli and her family yesterday morning |
We later had some quality time with little Elliot before the family left. He loves my collection of little houses and I taught him new words that day. He repeated after me the word "door". I think it's his first word in English. Bravo Elliot.
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| Elliot and his father yesterday morning |
We were left to our own devices and being a lovely sunny day we went for our walk. I didn't have to make anything for lunch yesterday as there were plenty of leftovers.
The highlight of the day came at night when we watched the talent show programme "Prodigios" where children and teenagers compete in three categories; singing, musical instruments and dance. I just love this 2 hour long musical programme. It's a concert in its own with wonderful talent and music and takes your mind off problems and of course Covid. I then went on to watch more of Outlander. Eladio said it was late (nearly 1 am) and I replied that I was 64 and could do what I wanted as it doesn't matter what time I get up in the morning.
I was up at 7.15 this morning to another wonderful sunny day. Today marks the beginning of spring, my favourite month after summer. I love to see the flowers blossom and the days become longer. We shall go for our walk today as we do everyday and the rest of Sunday will be quiet as it usually is.
I have now reached the end of the tales of this week. I hope you have enjoyed the read. I wish you all a great week ahead. Keep safe my friends until next Sunday. Cheers till then,
